The Blue Anshan
by Alesyira
Summary: Sequel to SatMW. Kagome must travel to another realm to save the God Tree, but her movements in the Makai draw the attention of the Reikai Tantei. Shippo's journey to learn more about his family leads to a discovery about his mother's disappearance.
1. Prologue

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**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

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Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

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**Summary**: Connections on more than one level...

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**Chapter Rating**: G...PG? Somewhere between the two. :) Basic mention of war/violence...

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**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

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**Brief History**

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There was a time of peace and prosperity after Kagome returned home through the well.

Sango and Miroku did indeed marry and build their home in the mountains far to the east of the taijiya village ruins. Together, they created a new family and trained their offspring in the old ways, so that the legacy of the demon exterminators would not end with their passing. Their children eventually had families of their own, and the taijiya spread quietly across the lands. They remained a secretive group in constant touch with one another; but they had learned their most important lesson of survival after near-destruction at the hands of Naraku: by spreading their kind across the country, no single attack would be able to threaten their kind again.

Many young children with spiritual awareness traveled to meet and study with Kikyo and her aging sister Kaede. For nearly a decade, the sisters warmly told the tale of a mysterious girl who'd given years of her youth to a quest that she had no true obligation towards, and people would visit from near and far to hear the legend. The village prospered and grew in those peaceful times, and those who remembered the great things she and her friends had done laid the foundations for what would become Higurashi Shrine.

One quiet morning shortly after her sister's peaceful death, Kikyo left without a word, never to be seen or heard from again. Some whispered that she had finally returned to the grave from whence she'd come, but when the hanyou, Inuyasha, vanished as well, the story grew into a fanciful tale of his timeless love and eternal vigil over her final resting place. The keeper of the shrine, one of Kikyo and Kaede's brightest students, continued to pass on the knowledge and experience she'd gained and kept careful watch over the village as it prospered and grew.

For several generations, people rebuilt their homes and settled back into calm routine. Eventually, though, all good things must come to an end. It was approximately one hundred years after the sealing of the Shikon no Tama that wars began anew. Youkai had grown in strength once more; they had replenished their numbers that had diminished so greatly during the time of Naraku. Skirmishes over small plots of land exploded into full-blown battles. The humans also grew in number and created new, more efficient methods of killing, causing the youkai to amass great armies to match and overcome the mortals.

The battles grew in intensity and many thousands of people -youkai and human alike- died. After fifty years of war, the gods finally decided to interfere and put a stop to the mindless conquest for power by forcing the two races apart.

One rainy afternoon, massive armies of humans and youkai met upon their final battleground. It could be said that the outcome of this fight would have been the turning point of the war, but as the thousands of beings raced toward one another, a flash of light streaked across the sky. The unnatural illumination temporarily blinded all present, and when the humans were able to see once again, not a single youkai remained. They had been left on the battlefield without an opponent, and the humans rejoiced as one. The leaders of the armies and those with royal lineage had extensive gatherings and negotiations to redraw the boundaries across the country, and the humans moved and resettled their lives wherever they saw fit, without fear of death or the necessity to pay homage to the youkai who may have previously held claim to the lands they now freely inhabited.

The world of the living had been split into two, forming mirror images of one another. The sky, a pale blue in the human realm, became a red that reminded the youkai of their fighting spirit and love of conquest. The creatures that had gathered for battle on that rainy countryside were shocked into stillness when the humans were no longer anywhere to be found, but the lords and ladies that had gathered their troops took this as an advantage. If the humans were not present to contest ownership of the lands, then the fight could continue between the youkai.

That first battle for control between the youkai lasted ten terrible years, during which many more lives were lost and the lands gained new boundaries and leaders. The massive battles for dominance left the countryside torn asunder and reshaped the terrain into a violent, harsh landscape, perfect for the ageless creatures that thrived on the hunt.

The realm of demons eventually became known as the Makai; the human realm as the Ningenkai. The third realm, the Reikai, had existed for so long that there was no memory of its creation. It was the land of the deceased and home to the gods. The immortal beings of the Reikai watched from afar, vowing to no longer meddle in the affairs of the other realms, but remaining eternally vigilant to ensure that the realms remained separate.

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After the realms divided, the archaic professions of the taijiya and miko evolved to meet the needs of the people. The taijiya refined their methods of battle to become highly specialized in missions requiring stealth, espionage, or assassinations. The taijiya became legendary to a degree -- impossible to find and even harder to hire.

The miko became less of a defense against the evils in the world and more of a comfort to the soul, providing spiritual guidance to the lost. Through generations of non-practice, the ability to purify the taint of evil thinned and eventually -in most cases- went out like the dying flame of an old candle.

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Every boundary -no matter the strength or size- has weaknesses to protect... In areas where the separation between the demon and human realms grew thin, creatures could slip through - sometimes intentionally - to the other side. The gods that ruled over the Reikai assigned powerful beings to guard the weaknesses in the barriers, employing both human and demon alike to prevent any violent encounters between the two races...

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**The Legend...**

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_-a short time ago-_

As the sun dipped below the peak of the great mountain, a young man - his skin bronzed from a life spent outside in the sun, stepped from his hut. He held aloft a lit torch as he approached the village center, where throngs of children sat huddled around an aging man. All focus was on that single blaze drifting slowly toward the crowd. The children made a short sound of awe as the torch ignited a careful arrangement of kindling, sending a plume of colored smoke and dancing sparks into the darkening sky.

A small girl shifted impatiently on her small mat of woven grass. "Grandfather, which story are you going to tell us tonight?"

"Patience, young one," the old man smiled. He folded his hands in his lap and tilted his head back to gaze peacefully up at the night sky. When he finally turned his attention on the hushed audience, he discovered half of his young audience was now staring intently at the sky. "When our island was still very young, there lived two children: one of the forest, and the other of fire..."

Just outside the ring of the firelight, a slim figure perched carefully near the top of an ancient tree. The only motion was the slight twitch in the tip of a bushy red tail that draped below the thick branch, but the villagers were completely unaware of the presence. Thin fingers tapped once against a knee in slight impatience as the listener waited for the elderly human to continue speaking.

The children gave him their full attention as he spoke, but a few occasionally glanced at the stars to see what had been so interesting to the Elder. "The boy was the only son of the fire clan, who thrived in the lava that bubbled up and gave birth to new land." The elder's hands drifted together and upwards as he spoke, animating his words with flowing motion. "They were the people of the mountain and slept within the great rivers of fire, emerging only for short spans of time during their long lives. They could call upon the liquid rock to form and reshape our island as they saw fit, and it is believed that it was through their wise influence that our island first came to be."

"The girl was the daughter of the forest people, who nurtured the flowers and trees from shore to shore." His fingers twirled and the youngest children gasped in surprise as a flowering vine seemingly appeared out of thin air. "The people of the forest were a beautiful people, full of life and love and the desire to grow, not only as a people, but also by creating and guiding the plant life around them.

"The two children were ignorant of an uneasy relationship between their families. The first time they met upon a grassy slope, they played and laughed until it came time to return home for the eve. The little boy kept his new friend a secret from his aging parents, but the little girl twirled and danced with her mother that night and spoke endlessly about the handsome boy she'd met." A few of the older girls sitting in a small group giggled amongst themselves for a brief moment.

"It was rare that the children chanced upon each other, for the son of the fire clan slept for long lengths of time within the burning peak of our mountain. Months turned into years, and the children grew. On a morning warmer than most, the young man woke from his fiery rest and sought out his secret friend from the forest. In hushed whispers, both confessed their growing affections for one another and agreed to meet again in two days' time."

He lifted his hand so that the fiery glow illuminated a thin braid of the flowering vine and red ribbon held carefully between his fingertips. "But, their fate is mysteriously tragic: The day the two young lovers had chosen to meet, both of the great families vanished without a trace." He held the braid over the flickering fire, allowing the tip to smolder.

"In remembrance of the love they held for one another and respect of the ancestors that helped shape our island, this story is told once a year as a symbol of their intended unity is engulfed in the flames. May their souls rest in peace." The braided length burned quickly after he spoke, as though it had waited for the short prayer to be spoken aloud.

The bright flare of light reflected in the silent creature's bright green eyes, drawing the sharp gaze of the Elder to his carefully concealed position. A single leaf falling to the dirt below was the only sign of the being's departure as the Elder quietly concluded the evening's story with a reminder of the next morning's duties, and he watched over the flickering firelight as each child carefully sought out his or her home in the darkness.

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**Author's Notes:** Okay! There is much, much more to this that I haven't even gotten to scratch the surface of. ;) I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to post the first chapter, because a _lot _more of this story needs to be fleshed out before I end up digging myself into a very deep, _terrible _plot hole.

Questions? Comments? Fire away! Either leave me a review or send me an email. No one really writes me anyways. :P Alesyira-at-gmail-dot-com


	2. Revenge, Lost in the Darkness 1

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**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

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Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

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**Summary**: What once was lost, cannot be found...

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**Chapter Rating**: G...PG? Somewhere between the two. :) Basic mention of war/violence...

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**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

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**Author's Note: **For those of you who read these things, I'd like to quickly thank Quirkyslayer, who has been the most vocal fan of the stories in this arc, and who has also given me a much-appreciated hand in final revisions. Please be aware that _The Blue Anshan_ encompasses several different stories along separate timelines and realms. They are all related to the overall story, but it might take a while for some of the connections to become apparent. Most of my chapters are devoted solely to the period they are set in, and I'll do my best to keep this layout from being too confusing. Send any questions or comments you may have; you might just bring up a point that I hadn't thought of before. :)

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**Revenge, Lost in the Darkness – ****Part 1/3**

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_the past_

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I crouched in a leafless tree, staring out over the horizon as the sun rose for another day. It was a little colder in the mountains as the breeze pushed away the warmth of the summer sun, but the chill was an unimportant detail in my mind that day.

My most consuming thoughts were the unfounded worries I harbored for Kagome's welfare.

I mean, I _knew _that she hadn't even been born yet, and I had _centuries_ before she would manage to find herself stuck in _any_ kind of mischief... but with as often as Kagome got into trouble in either era, it was hard to put aside that nagging concern.

In fact, between warm memories of happy times we'd enjoyed and chilling recollections of dangerous situations we'd encountered, I thought about her so _often_ that I suppose it wouldn't have mattered much whether I'd worried about anything else, because _that_ would end up turning into _another_ thought about the girl from the future.

I knew that eventually I'd start thinking of something _other_ than her, but until that happened, I'd happily continue wondering about silly, random things, like why Kagome never did something to make that one lock of her hair stop sticking up.

Where was I?

...Oh yeah. The journey to my father's homeland had taken nearly three weeks – two of which had been terribly annoying, as Myoga spent countless hours reminiscing about _everything _that could possibly relate to something we'd passed.

About a week ago, though, a monstrous water creature had eyed my tail for breakfast and I ended up fighting for my life over a lake. I wasn't very surprised to hear the old flea squeak out mention of some terribly important errand he'd forgotten just before he vanished. I had to _assume_ he escaped to safety before I took a plunge in that frigid lake, but only because he'd always managed to squeeze out of every tight circumstance we'd ever come across. It eventually took me a little more than an hour to escape the clutches of the water beast.

I hate to admit it now, but I didn't win that day. Water never has been my element. My foxfire couldn't do very much damage, as it kept getting doused by the damned thing constantly thrashing about looking for its opening to bite.

I sighed in annoyance, fingering the chunk missing from my too-short clothes. I needed to find something else to wear before I ended up running around the woods naked. (Don't get me wrong, though... I've discovered that that might not be such a terrible thing to see, judging by the response I've noticed from females that I've happened upon...) I knew that once I located the valley so deeply ingrained in my early memories, I'd be able to find something a little more durable, and preferably closer to my size.

I leapt to the north, ascending the slope and cresting the ridge well before noon. I paused and took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air as I stared hard toward the northwest and searched for an indication of any establishment. I knew I was near to my goal; I could feel it in my skin, just like the tickle of recognition I felt every time we approached Inuyasha's Forest. The faint, unique scent of clay and soil and familiar foliage on the breeze triggered warm memories of playing with cousins in the trees as our parents and grandparents talked and laughed with one another.

The tingle of apprehension and a thrill of homecoming filled my being as I sped down the slope and darted between trees. I'd finally spotted a familiar cluster of trees that marked the entrance to our valley, and I wasted no time rushing there. The wind whipped through my bangs and my lips curled into a gleeful smile as I pushed my speed to its limit...

I came to a dead stop at the edge of a deep gully. This portion of the forest was well-ingrained in my memories, and I knew if I looked down and to the left, I would find a shallow cave that I'd hidden in countless times. The trees were silent, save for the barest whisper of a breeze that trailed through the thin trees along the edge of the gully. I leapt down to the lower level and followed the path, slightly concerned at its overgrown state. '_Hasn't anyone been here recently?'_

The unwelcome sensation of fear crawled up my spine and quickened my pace into a careful run. I remained focused on my surroundings, knowing that there should be some sign of life, like claw and burn marks from sparring or a toy left behind after a long day of play. My fear grew as I hurried toward the homes I knew should be there, but I had yet to pass anything that would indicate anyone lived nearby. Unreasonable doubt flashed across my mind for an instant: What if I'd made a mistake during those three weeks of travel and had simply _thought _I'd recognized this place?

The uncertainty was banished from my thoughts as I froze between two thick trunks. I _knew _this clearing by heart, just as I knew where my favorite hiding spot would be from the edge of that gully. Not even twenty paces away was the entrance to the home of my father's parents, and all I could smell was the scent of forest. I stepped forward cautiously, hoping I wouldn't find something terrible hidden behind the weathered wooden door.

The door creaked open slowly and I glanced around the dusty interior. Shelves were lined with keepsakes just as they had been years ago, and there was even a meal still sitting upon the tabletop. But my hopes were irreparably dashed as I took note of the inch of dust coating everything. The meal had spoiled and shriveled so long ago that it was no longer recognizable.

There was not even the slightest trace of their scent in the abandoned home. The guest houses nearby were empty as well, with nothing living within the walls except a few spiders and mice.

The wind shifted and brought with it the taste of human, and I stilled to determine whether or not it was a potential threat. (Not that I'm _afraid _of humans or anything, but I've learned some can pack nasty surprises...) Within a few seconds I was darting toward the source. The elderly man had just stepped outside of a small hut less than a mile away from the clearing. A young, homely-looking girl hobbled closely behind him leaning on crutch for support. She chattered quietly about the beautiful sky as his aged face wrinkled into a smile.

I landed quietly in a crouch before the mismatched pair, unconcerned with the girl's gasp of fright. "Old man, do you know of the kitsune youkai that used to live in this valley?"

A moment passed in silence as the very forest seemed to hold its breath. He nodded in my direction; his milky-blind eyes spoke volumes of loss as the shadow of painful memories turned his crinkled smile into a deep frown. "They were very kind to our village. We lived peacefully."

"Where did they go?" I looked toward the girl halfway hidden behind him. To ask the two why they remained here, alone in this mere whisper of a village seemed too prying, and surely the stupidity of a crippled child and a blind old man would be beneath a strong youkai's notice... But I'd spent too many days with Kagome and her charitable heart to ignore their possible plight. "Why do you remain here with only that girl for your eyes?"

The old man turned slightly and followed a worn path to a rickety seat carved from wood. The young girl carefully helped him sit down, and he turned to stare with unseeing eyes at the place I still stood. "There was a dispute over territory some time ago. The mogura youkai of the eastern slope demanded control of this valley and free reign over its inhabitants."

_'The moles? They lived underground and were just as peaceful and kind as we were..._' I could remember one day that my grandmother told us about the mogura clan's matron. Their clan gave ours a gift of carved stones that glowed red as a token of peace and friendship between our families.

"The kitsune... they resisted the demands and tried to reason with the mogura. But they were outnumbered, and our meager human settlement was little help. It was..." The old man paused, emotional pain contorting his face. "It was a terrible massacre."

The old man's voice cracked with restrained tears, and I slid to rest upon a knee in disbelief. '_My family?_' It was hard to believe that anyone in my family could have been so weak as to fall to a bunch of blind, dirt-digging vegetable munchers.

"A few survived... I do not know who managed to escape... I've been blind most of my life, and I think it was the only reason my life was spared," he muttered. "I stay to keep watch over the graves of my wife and son, who were not so fortunate that day... and I plead for vengeance."

To the eyes and ears of those two pitiful humans, I vanished. I leapt straight upwards without sound, barely touching on a thin branch with the tip of a toe before concealing myself amongst the thick leaves. I needed time to swallow the knot of misery that threatened to claw its way out of my throat, and I certainly didn't want to make myself look weak in front of _them. _ I could hear the little girl below murmur in confusion that I'd disappeared.

I bit my lip and rubbed my hands across my face. I'd always thought my grandparents to be strong after their long lives and endless experiences, and to think they might have perished at the hands of...

My thoughts tripped over themselves as I remembered something I'd just seen, and I slipped back into my grandparents' home. There were plates set out for five people to eat, and the house had obviously been arranged for guests. Keirin, my father's sister, and her husband had a little girl a little younger than I. They seemed more likely to be the mystery guests than did my uncle Kagetsu and his wife and three boys. Plus, Kagetsu lived on the northern edge of the valley and didn't need a place to sleep here...

I laughed to myself, morbidly relieved that it was very unlikely that every member on my father's side of the family had chosen _that _particular day to visit.

The little girl squealed in renewed fright as I reappeared before them, but the old man continued to sit with his sad expression as though he'd known I'd come right back for more information. "How long ago was this? Where did this happen?" I asked as any trace of politeness drained from my tone.

Once the disbelief and confusion had been overcome with some common sense and basic reasoning, I began to feel the sharp claws of a vengeful rage creep across my shoulders. I'd force the ones responsible for this horrible act to pay for their debts with their lives, or I would die trying. This was not a common dispute; it was vicious and cruel, for who kills women and children for territory and then never even _uses_ said territory?

Together, the old man and the girl told me how to get to what remained of the battle that had happened nearly two years prior. I was astounded at the amount of damage that had been done to that mountainside. There were an unbelievable number of trees that had been uprooted and tossed around like plucked grass, and the rocks and earth were cut in jagged furrows that were too unnatural to have been anything but the evidence of battle. This kind of fight would have been very loud and ground shaking, catching a lot of attention from any creatures living nearby. The tears in the earth ran in several directions with a few leading off into the still-intact woods, so I had hope that the battle that had been waged did not end here, and perhaps it hadn't been a complete massacre if my uncle's family came to their aid.

If that were the case, then it was possible my uncle's family still lived to the north, and I shot away from the battlefield with an urgency I'd rarely felt before.

Once I'd arrived, my lungs seemed to collapse and refuse any air into my chest. I dropped to my knees to survey the more disturbing imagery of their den in ruin. It had collapsed upon itself and was impossible to enter. A few trees had been uprooted here too, leading in a line toward the den, so it looked as though it had been caused by the mogura as well.

My hands clenched over my thighs in determination as I stared out over the destruction. Without _proof_ of their deaths, I refused to allow what little hope I had for the survival of my family to fizzle out.


	3. Revenge, Lost in the Darkness 2

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**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

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Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

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**Summary**: Sometimes the answer to an impossible riddle is so obvious that it is completely overlooked...

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**Chapter Rating**: G...PG? Somewhere between the two. :) Basic mention of war/violence...

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**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

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**Revenge, Lost in the Darkness – Part 2**

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_the past_

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I searched through the rubble of my uncle's home and the old battlefield for hours. Sweat dripped down my face as I pulled aside rotten tree trunks and tore my claws through blast furrows that had long since overgrown with new grass.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I _knew _that digging holes in the dirt would get me nowhere, but the longer I searched unsuccessfully for any sign of their remains, the more that tiny glimmer of hope grew.

Grandfather and Grandmother should have had no difficulty taking on any invaders in our homeland, especially since my father's family had lived there for generations. That is, of course, _youkai _generations. My grandparents were both very skilled and experienced adults with a profound sense of connection to their land, and combined, their abilities would have been more than enough to easily defend their family and territory. My father's family had lived in this valley for a very,_ very _long time.

It wasn't until I found the fang of my Grandfather did I truly believe they were dead. His striped markings were of a very rare sort, extending from the bridge of his nose and down his cheeks, passing through the flesh around his mouth to trace the length of his fangs. I found myself staring down at that single fang, stuck in a strangely apathetic memory of Sango passing along some (seemingly trivial at the time) youkai knowledge. Markings had a very important purpose in youkai society, displaying specific heritage or serving as a sign of royal lineage. Of course, they were less distinct (but usually non-existent) on youkai without humanoid forms.

I knew that Grandfather's striped fangs were uncommon from what I'd seen in my youth, and when I mentioned the fact to Sango, she replied that it was practically unheard of (and unnecessary) for a marking to form upon parts of the body that were not immediately visible. Her guess had been that it would defeat the purpose of identification, but I think I'd just found a good reason to argue.

I was a little disturbed to not find the rest of his bones anywhere near his fang. Unfortunately for me, searching for the bones of my wise and strong Grandfather wouldn't be as simple as stumbling across Sesshoumaru's bones (should he ever decide to leave this plane of existence.) My kind didn't grow larger with age and power, we gained extra tails.

Even now, my eyebrows furrow in annoyance at that idea. I'm not sure who made the choice for tails over size in the evolution of our species, but maybe one day (in the far future) our tails will serve as something more than girl-magnets and swishing youki-batteries. ...If I had a say in it, though, I think I would have asked for the frighteningly massive size. If I could compare them now (because really, the only other youkai I had frequent contact with were Kirara and Sesshoumaru,) Grandfather was probably twice as old as Sesshoumaru, but only half as large the last time I saw him. He'd had six tails, though, I think.

I stopped for a moment to sigh in frustration and rub my dirty face across the too-short sleeve. I tried to ignore it, but a sense of hopelessness had invaded my head, and I had no idea who I would turn to for answers regarding my heritage...

I continued to dig with a growing sense of desperation, hoping against hopes that I would not find any further signs of their demise. The scent of moist earth cloyed in my nostrils; bits of dirt speckled my skin and stung my eyes. I ignored the annoyances and only stopped again after I'd found my Grandmother's weapon, shattered and faded beneath the trunk of a tree. Somehow, I realized that finding and gathering bones from the battle lost two years before would be a near-impossible task, so instead I turned my focus toward honoring their final resting place. It didn't take quite so long to (somewhat) replace the dirt, rocks, and grass I'd disturbed. Before I left to pursue my growing need for vengeance, I said a prayer to honor their spirits and memory.

Daybreak found me crouched in another tree, watching one of the oft-used entrances to the mogura lair. There had been no sign of activity as I'd approached a few hours earlier, so I suspected their sense of hearing was advanced enough to be aware of any approaching creature, even while still underground.

The entire day passed without any sign of life from below, although that wasn't surprising, given their nocturnal nature... But I knew they were here. The dirt around the three-foot wide hole reeked of their scent and there were obvious trails in the immediately surrounding area.

As evening grew near and my patience grew thin, I was slightly surprised to see a child run from the entrance I'd watched for so long.

"Child!" I heard the older woman's sharp hiss well before she came barreling out of the darkness. "It is not yet dark! Do not go outside!" She ran after the young youkai with her massive arms outstretched. The mogura had an interesting body structure that had evolved to assist their underground lifestyle. While humanoid in appearance, their upper bodies were shorter and tucked into a permanent slouch; their arms were long and heavily muscled and their fingers tipped in deadly sharp claws. The species excelled at quickly tunneling through the most stubborn earth, but lumbered around rather slowly while above-ground and couldn't see very well for some reason or another.

The child sobbed and cried as he was caught, calling for his father. "Hush, young one! He is not coming back!" she whispered harshly. Her eyes squinted against the glare of the setting sun as she scanned the nearby woods. The fear visible on her face seemed out of place for the supposed killers of my extended family... unless they already knew I was here for revenge. She quickly ushered the child back into the safety of their den while glancing back over her shoulder, leaving me to my thoughts.

I felt a bit confused at their apparent lack of aggression. Well, I was confused about the whole situation, really. Why would a peaceful group of nocturnal, underground youkai possibly want control over the forest where my grandparents lived?

Wouldn't it have been easier to just dig underneath the desired area, since they all lived down there, anyways? I could _maybe _agree with a dispute over something like a cave in a prime location with a spring and natural heating (and maybe a village full of nubile young maidens), but none of that fit this situation.

And why would a newly aggressive group of moles huddle in fear from a single youkai? Even if they had caught some of my family by surprise, it still would have been a deadly fight, so if they _won_, then surely...

But that woman _did _say something about his father not coming back. Maybe my grandparents took some down before their demise.

I didn't dwell on my confusion and the morose possibilities for very long before my mind worked its way back around to ideas on how to stage my attack. They lived underground and suffered from poor eyesight, so I reasoned they probably needed excellent hearing or the ability to sense vibrations in order to adequately protect their kind.

Any attack I wanted to make would need to be swift and silent to avoid an early (and costly, if they got their hands on me) retaliation. I'd need to use a smaller form in order to slip in and out, but I wasn't sure how I could change and still make use of the liquid fire... But of course, the flammable liquid that I could expel from my fingertips would still be the best offensive choice for now. I had no real control over anything else I might be able to use in an attack, and so the familiar and reliable would have to do.

I would be able to sneak in and lay a scattered path of the blue goop, lighting it after I'd made some distance through the tunnels. In my anger, the foxfire would probably burn everything it touched, except me, of course. I don't think it would be a very good form of attack if it singed my hands every battle.

I waited and watched the lair, following some instinct that made me pause and examine the situation. At least it gave me some extra time to think about my 'plan' (and maybe even practice my shape shifting a little). No other members of the mogura clan emerged from their den that night, not even for food or water. The sun rose again and I held firm to my patience and continued to wait.

When the moon once more became visible in the darkening sky, an old mogura female with a dark, heavily wrinkled face and oddly skinny arms came hobbling out of the entrance used by the two a day before. "What business do you have here, stranger?" called the old crone as she stared unblinkingly up at my perch. "You have been here for too long, neither approaching nor retreating."

I suppose I'd expected some kind of delayed reception as they amassed their forces, but this obviously non-violent questioning was (once again) completely out of place, and I almost didn't know what to say.

A moment passed in silence as I regarded her tired posture. When I answered her question, it was with a quiet strength that I certainly did not feel. "I have come to find the monsters responsible for the death of my family."

Her expression remained passive and cool, hiding any revealing reaction to my words. "You shall find no such thing here, young one."

A sort of disbelief and rage clouded my vision for a moment. How could she tell me that?! Was I looking in the wrong place? Was she lying?

"We grieve for your loss as we grieve for our own," she murmured. Okay, that made things a bit clearer, and I felt the swelling rage fizzle out. Inuyasha had always been quick to anger, but I like to think that I learned enough about controlling frustration and anger through Kagome's example. (After all, she learned to deal with Inuyasha in a more civilized manner _without _removing his ears...) But still, I was quite annoyed.

"What do you mean? Your kind waged war on my family and decimated everything." I couldn't hide the tone of anger in my voice, but I managed to remain mostly straight-faced. Because I hadn't witnessed the battle, I had to give the woman a chance to speak, but the evidence and the man I'd spoken with had helped suspicion take firm root.

The old woman sighed, although it was more in regret than annoyance. "That may be _partially _true -- but those who went against our peaceful ways never returned from their wave of destruction." She turned her eyes toward the moon as it peeked out from behind one of the few clouds in the night sky. She remained silent for a moment longer, and whatever brief thoughts passed through her mind caused her expression to harden into one of anger. "A shard of terrible power came into the hands of one of our own, and he turned vile and cruel. He gathered those who would follow him and left the den, claiming a quest to gain innumerable treasures and endless land..."

She looked down at the ground before meeting my gaze once more. "They've been gone for two winters now. They claimed to want to bring back treasures and ownership of new territory, but in truth, we lost something far more valuable."

If the mogura had come to possess a shard of the Shikon no Tama, then those that had left the lair were most likely dead. I know that our group never encountered mole youkai on rampage, and every shard had been recovered and returned to Kagome... So if they were still alive, then surely they would have come home.

You know, curiosity will eventually be the death of me, but today it merely earned me a look of incredulity. "So, what did the bad mogura take with them that was so valuable?"

She must have stared at me for a good five minutes. "You are a fool. Have you no sense of family? Surely _your_ loss must have made you feel some kind of pain..."

I shrugged slightly and finally dropped to the ground to stand before the wizened old youkai. If I'd been heartless and set on my planned path of revenge, I could have easily snapped this old lady in half and gone on to slaughter most of the mogura survivors before they'd had a chance to react.

"Do you know if any of my family survived?" I asked, trying not to hope for a positive answer.

"I know nothing of their fate. If any survived, they would not have sought out our assistance, since it was our kind that had attacked them."

I suppose that should have been the obvious answer, but the knowledge that my grandmother had been good friends with this woman made me believe that she would have known something... some time passed in silence as we stood in the darkness. Neither of us looked at the other, nor did we choose to part ways. It was as though we both had more to ask, but had no way to approach it tactfully.

She broke the silence first. "Why did you seek them out now? I have not seen you since you were but a small kit."

I smiled wryly. '_If only she knew..._' Even though the mogura clan had been left crippled in the wake of the Shikon shard, I had enough common sense to trust my instincts and _not _tell the old woman about my desire to learn how to use my newly-developed abilities. To do so would practically be inviting those within to extract whatever twisted sort of vengeance they saw fit for the disappearance of their loved ones.

Well, like Kagome said once, anything's possible.

**-**

**-**

**Author's Notes:** I've decided to change the layout again. I'll finish the rest of this arc, Revenge, which is the first part of Shippo's story. Arc 2 will start Kagome's adventure, so on and so forth. Please excuse my terrible delays in updates. I've been helping my husband with his classes (Mainly, I type while he speaks, and his work gets done extremely fast and with far fewer errors). And did you know that having free time is NOT conducive for writing? All I want to do sometimes is play video games until my eyes fall out. I'm such a nerd. I found new inspiration to write in the form of multiple crashes in one game and near-completion of the other, so… heh.


	4. Revenge, Lost in the Darkness 3

-

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

-

Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

-

**Summary**: Sometimes wisdom isn't very…_ wise._

-

**Chapter Rating**: G...PG? Somewhere between the two. :) Basic mention of war/violence...

-

**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

-

**Revenge, Lost in the Darkness – Part 3**

-

_the past_

-

Now then, where was I?

Oh yes. I suppose the mogura matron must have felt sympathetic to my plight. "I came for knowledge regarding my family," I said, "especially my mother, because I only have a few stories about the years before she met my father."

Her aged eyes squinted against the dim light of evening as she looked over my appearance. Her soft sound of recognition did not go unnoticed, "You are the son of Kasei and Hananoki." At my nod, she continued. "I have not seen you for a very long time." She sighed lightly, and a melancholy smile graced the old woman's face. "Your mother was very special - very kind. Your grandparents were terribly sad to hear of her disappearance." She sighed and turned back toward the entrance of the den.

"Wait - is that all you know?" I asked, taken aback at the abbreviated memory.

"Of course not, child. Join me inside for tea - Just be sure to watch your step. We do not use much light."

I believe _that_ qualified for the understatement of the century. As I followed her echoing footsteps into the dark depths of their lair, I felt acutely aware of the fact that I was walking blind into throngs of creatures directly related to those that had slaughtered my family.

My sight slowly began to adjust to the dark, allowing me to discern blobs of dark, dark grey amidst the black. But without any light, I doubted I'd be able to see much more.

The tunnel we walked through opened into what sounded like a large cavern, judging by the way her footsteps faded into ambient noise. I could hear whispers of children and adults alike, but it was near-impossible to pinpoint those youkai due to the confusing pattern of echoes and the distortions created by the uneven rock face. Sure, I have great hearing, but I'm not a _bat_, you know.

I turned right and followed her down a tunnel, but just as I began to suspect her motives, I realized everything had become visible once more under a faint red glow.

"This room is a place we normally send our younglings to play, for it takes our kind five winters to become fully aware of their hearing." We stopped in a small room that had several of the glowing stones my Grandmother had shown us when we were little.

"While you are here, you may use this room to rest in and collect yourself. To remain in the dark for days on end can be unsettling to a stranger. I doubt you remember me from your childhood - My name is Tsuchi." And with those words, the mogura matron had welcomed me into their midst.

To say that the next few weeks were awkward would be another great example of understatement. The mogura clan (sans the matriarch) believed I was planning something dastardly (like killing off the lot of them) to avenge the loss of my family, and _I_ was convinced that I was being watched, _all the time_. I felt as though, should I let my guard down for even the shortest of moments, they would flay me alive and add my bones to some freaky collection of lost travelers.

Needless to say, no one got any rest... except the matron, of course.

It was hard for her to remember everything my Grandmother had told her, and she'd lived for so _long_ that some of her memories were confused or lost amidst thousands of others. She came to the dimly lit room as the sun set each evening (or so I was told) to tell me about something else she'd remembered. It was just too bad that she hadn't used some kind of system to record such tidbits as they occurred, like _writing._

(One day, they'll figure out how, and the old bag can stop worrying about her faulty memories.)

I sometimes felt a little cheated --perhaps even frustrated-- when her stories twisted away from truth and toward the more fanciful embellishment. I was beginning to notice the differences in her speech when she shifted between children's stories and history. Perhaps she did it to entertain her people, but I was looking for fact, not fiction.

There really wasn't much for me to do during the very long and boring hours between each session with the matron. I had to wonder what the hell she had to do during the rest of the day, given her weak physical condition...

I grew curious and began to explore the tunnels and caverns using various illusions to sneak about without scaring the mogura... too much. (I couldn't help it a few times, though... it seemed that at least a few of the women had the classic, deep-rooted fear of tiny rodents.)

I learned to somewhat rely on my hearing and sense of touch while traversing the darkness of those tunnels. It took quite some time to gain a basic familiarity of how sounds bounced off of the tunnel walls, and I knew that the skill each of the mogura possessed must have taken _decades_ to fully learn.

There were times that I could not rely solely on my other senses to reveal the answers to questions that occasionally surfaced, so I worked on producing very small flickers of foxfire from one of my fingertips. With my enhanced sight, even that tiny amount of illumination could easily light up my surroundings enough to see, but it also temporarily blinded any mogura that happened to be nearby (as well as seriously piss them off). I had to be very careful about how often I used it.

It was interesting to discover how very little control I had over my foxfire. I could produce the blue flames at will, and it almost always centered on my hands, which in turn ignited the liquid...

But how can someone turn an instinctual thing into something one _does_? It took a whole week of practice to get the handful of flame to shrink into a mere candle flicker. And even then, I had to work on controlling it enough so that the initial light wouldn't destroy any sense of night vision I'd acquired.

(Although, I knew I'd eventually need to learn how to make _more_ flame, rather than less...)

On one of my excursions through the tunnels, I met a teenaged boy, perhaps a bit less matured than I, but it was impossible to judge years, because different species of youkai grow faster than others.

He and I were wary of one another, but he apparently had more guts than the rest of the adults and actually asked what my name was. We spoke very little at first, and I felt like he was judging how much of a threat I might be. He tailed me the first day for a few hours without saying anything more, but the next day he sought me out and told me his name. "Kuusai," he said. "Why are you here?"

"I need to hear the stories Tsuchi-sama has to tell about my kind."

"Is your family dead, like mine, then?"

I had to smile at the boy's straightforwardness. "Yeah." He didn't hang around me all of the time, but we found conversation more than once.

Sometimes during the early hours of the evening, I'd notice a few females leaving the safety of the den to collect certain supplies they wanted from the surrounding woods. I didn't think too much of this, until I learned that everything they _needed_ could be found underground. One of their tunnels extended to a bubbling spring that supplied various pools with freshwater to drink or wash in, and as they ate various types of vegetable matter, most of their required food could be found by simply looking _up_. Some of the tunnels ran close enough to the surface that there were literally gardens of tubers and plant bulbs that lined the ceilings. The thinner roots that poked through the walls elsewhere were used as a source of sustenance in times of need (or when someone grew too lazy to go find a suitable meal).

After nearly a month had gone by (and boy, I was feeling the lack of sleep by then) the tunnels seemed to reverberate with a terrible screeching roar.

It was impossible to be sure where the sound had come from, so I took off (in a careful sprint) to where I knew I'd be able to find Kuusai.

Some of the adults were racing in a specific direction, probably to fend off whatever beast dared enter their den, but a few noticed my approach and fled in sudden fear. I'm pretty sure a few of them thought _I_ was the one attacking… but that _roar_? They had to know it wasn't me...

Kuusai stood in a defensive stance in front of the slim tunnel leading back to one of the younglings' sleeping areas, and as I drew close to him, I could tell by the relief on his face in that inky darkness that he'd almost thought I was behind the attack, too. The tunnels shook under the force of another impact right before that horrendous screech stung our ears.

"I need you to help me find this thing! I might be able to help!" I hurriedly said, reaching out to yank on his hand. He was hesitant to move at first, and I could see him look back over his shoulder at the tunnel behind him. "Whatever is in here is probably too big to fit down there! Help me!"

He must have been able to see the desperation in my expression, because the next thing I knew, I was being dragged down the dark corridor by my hand faster than I'd be able to go on my own.

He zipped me around corners and under shelves of rock so fast that I scraped my arm and hit my head, but then he slowed and said, "There!" I was clearly able to see several of the mogura youkai swiping their massive clawed hands against a wall that seemed to move in an odd, wavy pattern. But the occasional flashes of light told me that whatever it was had a serious layer of armor, and they weren't doing very much damage.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"I don't know... maybe a hebi youkai... sometimes we get smaller ones trying to find a new burrow, but they're never this big..."

"They're attacking its side. Is there any ways you can get me in front of it?"

"Uhm..." he paused for a moment. "Yeah. This way – watch your head this time!"

Again I was led through a series of tunnels and small walkways with ceilings just a _bit_ too low. He stopped and whispered, "Here... It's just ahead of us..."

That fact was terribly obvious when the thing let out anther ear-splitting roar. "Damnit!" I shouted, covering my ears. "Shield your eyes!" I pushed him behind me and allowed my foxfire to alight, temporarily stunning the snake-like youkai with the sudden bright illumination.

It was barely wide enough to fit in this particular tunnel, with only a small amount of room on each side for it to writhe and flex to push forward. "Aren't you a little big for this place?" I shouted, flinging burning liquid into its exposed eyes and mouth.

The thing screeched and tried to twist away, but the quarters were so cramped that it couldn't do much more than scoot backwards to escape the burn.

I had to play it safe; to attack the beast relentlessly would make it feel cornered and unable to escape... _fight or flight_.

It shrieked and roared as I irritated the sensitive orifices of its face with near-effortless flicks of burning liquid. Kuusai must have known what I'd had in mind, for he was giving me information on how long the tunnels ran back towards the surface. "My people know what it is that you are doing," he shouted to be heard above the angry beast's roars. "They are making sure that it backs the right way out of our tunnels."

"Do we have any way of keeping it out once it's out?" I shouted back over my shoulder at him.

"Hopefully it'll be scared enough of getting its nose burnt off to not come back!"

Likely. Once I got that thing out in the open, all it would see would be a tiny Shippo-Snack Ready-to-Eat. I could just see it rearing back and staring down at me with those singed, angry red eyes... its huge mouth open with massive fangs dripping–

"Shippo!" Kuusai shouted from behind me.

I should have figured that daydreaming about a messy death while still in the face of danger was a bad idea. ...Especially when a few boulders that had been knocked free from the tunnel ceiling missed crushing my tail by mere hairs (which I felt the loss of)!

The snake youkai finally backed out far enough to find purchase in the ground, for its head suddenly retreated. Within moments, moonlight had spilled into the now-empty tunnel, and I found myself surrounded by confused, sheepish looking, and a few disgruntled mogura. A few murmured thanks and nods were given as the crowd of youkai dispersed, leaving only a few curious stragglers, Kuusai, and the matron Tsuchi-sama.

She gave a deep bow. "Our people are indebted to you for helping us with such disregard for your own safety. I've come to recognize the mistrust between you and our kind, but with your display of bravery on our behalf, perhaps my people will show you the respect befit an honored guest."

"Maybe," I half-heartedly replied.

But it seemed, as the next few days went by, that she'd spoken the truth. When the matron and I met to hear another one of her stories, we were joined by a few new youkai I had not yet met. And so it went for a short while, until the meeting hall seemed packed full of them. One evening, after the matron finished speaking, someone voiced a request to hear some of the tales I had to share.

Although I felt a bit off finally speaking to the lot of them, I began the story of our group's hunt for the Shikon no Tama. The mogura clan had been appalled to learn of the jewel's existence, as well as the horrible things that had occurred from of its shattering, especially because of the direct damage it had caused to their people.

I also heard more than one of them mutter about 'irresponsible humans' and their 'evil artifacts.' I was sorely tempted to lash out against those that thought so poorly of Kagome and her constant self-sacrifice to help so many... but I held back my anger and used their ignorance to embellish a few stories of my own. Truly, by the time I'd left the safety of their den, the mogura believed Kagome had been a goddess incarnate. I can't help the smug smile I get every time I remember the new sense of profound awe they felt toward her.

In between the story-sessions, I suddenly had plenty to see and do, thanks to Mister Snake. That beast's flailing had caused a great deal of damage to several tunnels and caverns. There were collapsed walls, cave-ins, and one or two of the smaller cavern dwellings had been completely lost. So, in exchange for their hospitality (they'd gotten much better at that since the attack) I offered to lend assistance wherever I could.

I soon discovered that most of the adults in the clan were female. Of course, this didn't make much of an impact on their clan due to the basic equality between their males and females, but it was still impressive to see how much physical labor they could accomplish in the dark depths of their den.

A group of females taught me the basic claw technique the mogura used to cleave through the soil, which, when applied with a certain measure of youki, would dissolve the rocks into nothing, allowing more efficient digging and no need to drag piles of stones and dirt back to the surface...

It took some time to get used to the method. The females that used the technique had massive arms built to effortlessly swing and hack away at the tough soil, but my arms were rather skinny and useless in comparison. By the time most of the needed repairs had been finished, though, I had gained a great deal of familiarity in identifying sounds in the tunnels, quite a bit of upper body strength, and an interesting collection of stories and experiences the matron had been able to share.

She told me about the sparse gatherings of kitsune youkai across the land, as well as how rare it was to meet another family of the same species. She hadn't known _why_ there were so few...

I also learned something from her that I'd never expected (and sometimes I still wish I hadn't heard).

My father and mother had been joined as an agreement between their families. (That was a harsh blow to the warm and fuzzy feelings I'd gotten while thinking about their budding relationship...) I had always believed that they'd fallen in love at first sight and had fawned over one another until the day their union had been destroyed by Mother's disappearance. I knew that they'd loved one another very much, but now it was hard to imagine their relationship before they'd reached that point. Did they love each other when I was conceived? Did they even have time to get to know one another before they were forced into their joining?

Fortunately, the matron had no answer to those questions... I don't think I could have handled the news that my mother had married against her will. It didn't fit with my happy memories of our short years as a family.

"I met your aunt and uncle once at the ceremonial joining of your mother and father," she told me one evening. "She was your mother's cousin, although they bore very little similarities aside from their beautiful red hair. He was a strange youkai that dressed in foreign clothes and occasionally spoke an unfamiliar language. His ears extended from the top of his head like a true kitsune, and his hair was a silvery white that I've only see upon the shiro inu and of the youkai more familiarly associated with colder climes, and it led me to believe that he was not of Japanese descent. It's hard for my kind to be sure, for we spend so many of our days below the earth.

"Your mother spent a great deal of her adolescent years with your uncle's family, although I'm not sure why. She never mentioned her parents or siblings the few times our clans met. If you wish to find out more about her, it would be wise to find your uncle's home."

I sat quietly for a moment as I let this information soak in. "And since you believe him to be a foreigner, you think it would be in my best interest to begin looking... where?"

"In the snowy foreign lands, of course!" I'd almost forgotten that we weren't alone as I heard several murmurs of agreement.

...You know, until that moment, I'd thought the matron to be a somewhat wise youkai versed in at least some local lore and the basics of the world. She _had_ shown me up by using more common sense than I, in at least a _few_ situations...

But that response sent me for a loop. How in the world could I possibly find anything with such a vague description as that? "You aren't able to be a little... more specific... maybe?" I asked, strangely feeling a bit disrespectful.

Tsuchi-sama quirked a frazzled eyebrow at my question before answering. "Of course I can." I almost sighed in relief before she pointed to her left. "Go west, across the water." Had I been prone to comic maneuvers in moments of disbelief, I might have fallen over sideways from my spot on the floor.

But I stayed still, even when a few youkai around me snickered softly. "What do you think I am, child? A walking archive?"

"With the memory this old bat has, it's surprising she can remember _anything,_" said a youkai sitting somewhere behind me. A few others snickered as I sighed. It was at about this time that I began to suspect that I'd learned from her pretty much all I could to extend my search for relatives.

By the next evening, I'd decided it was time to go _home._ I knew they'd ask me to stay a little longer to share more stories, but I promised I'd come back some day.

I'd been away for only a few months, but I knew much may have happened during my absence...

**-**

**-**

**Author's Notes:** There is one, maybe two more chapters for this arc before I move onto Kagome's story. I haven't quite finished revising the next part, so while there are like, five other chapters already written for Kagome and the YYH crew, they need to wait until this little part is all done before they can get their read-time here. That's the problem with my chaotic writing style, not to mention trying to tackle three (almost four) stories that converge into one complete storyline. While I'm in the mood to write, I'll try and get as much done as possible to make up for the last eight or so weeks. :D


	5. Revenge, Lost in the Darkness 4

-

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

-

Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

-

**Summary**: Shippo finally realizes how much his life has changed.

-

**Chapter Rating**: PG, I hope. I may have pushed the line here. ;) Sango is naughty, embarrassment ensues.

-

**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

-

**Revenge, Lost in the Darkness – Part 4**

-

_the past_

-

Two months. (Well, three months by the time I got home.) It really was such a blink of time in a youkai's long life, but for humans - that length of time could seem so very long.

Would they be disappointed with me?

Sometimes, when I think back to that time of my life, I like to tell myself that I ran my ass off to get back home as soon as possible... But it's impossible to lie to yourself while the truth insists on poking you in the side with a sharp stick, hissing "I'm still here!"

So yeah... the truth? It took four weeks to get home (twice as long as it took me to get away in the first place!) because I was 'collecting my thoughts' ...or something. Hell, I just didn't want to face them. I had no idea how they'd react to my reappearance after the abrupt departure. I'm sure they worried about me, but my anxiety centered on the repercussions of how Kagome felt after I'd left.

Myoga hadn't really told me about her emotional state during her last week in the feudal era. I mean... she didn't _physically_ need to be near me anymore, but she had been so_ sad_. And when something hurt Kagome's feelings, you could be damned sure that the monk and slayer would step up to beat the living tar out of the offender! (Well, Sango would. Miroku would employ a sharp whack-of-the-staff and maybe a well-placed ofuda or two...)

I figured I could handle anger. Anger is easily burned off with a good scuffle, and my wounds heal fast anyways.

Why couldn't I have stayed that last week? I'm sure I wouldn't have ended up doing anything _too _drastic if I'd stayed just a little bit longer. I mean, how bad could it have been? It's not like I'd been lusting over her body with some twisted desire to...

Okay, weird thoughts. She was –er, IS– Kagome! I love the girl, sure. And like any self-respecting kitsune, I want to horde things I love in my super-secret cave (I actually didn't have one of _those _for another couple decades). But come on, that would have been a bit _too _creepy.

I could have easily smashed that damned dry well and kept her in this era...

...Don't look at me like that. You know that anyone who really cared for that girl harbored thoughts of doing just that, or something equally as stupid. She could have lived just fine for the four-hundred and fifty some-odd years between then and now, and she _still _would have made it home for dinner a whole week early.

Anyways, once I found myself back in Inuyasha's forest, all I could think about was turning tail and trying again the next week. –Um, maybe the next month. Or the next year? I was itching to run away from their disappointed stares and difficult questions, and I was so set on forcing my feet in a straight path that I was_ stunned_ by the completely unexpected sight I came upon.

Now, before I say anything more, I'm tempted to give you a few bits of information that might help your thoughts run wild with crazy ideas and graphic details... but I should just get to the point. Now, by that time in my life, the concept of sex was still mostly unfamiliar to me. I guess I knew that a male and female had to do something together (privately!) that involved some rubbing together and making weird noises, and those actions would eventually result in kids... But I'd never, not in my wildest dreams, imagined sex to have anything to do with what I witnessed that afternoon.

Sango had tied Miroku face down to her Hiraikotsu, his arms stretched out along the length of the giant bone boomerang. His lean muscles flexed against the binding, which made it obvious just how tight his restraints were. It had been propped into the crook of a tree's branches so that he stood, naked as the day he was born, helpless to prevent Sango from... from...

She seemed _possessed_! A fire burned in her eyes –it was an expression she'd had in battles countless times before– as she drew back her hand to strike Miroku's bare backside.

"Tell me how you like it!" she screamed, and I fell backwards in absolute horror, right into a poor, defenseless bush. The sound drew both of their attention to where I sat, and I _knew _my face had to be as red as my hair.

Sango, thankfully still clothed, –they must have _just _gotten started!– said my name, though her tone held enough confusion that she might not have immediately recognized me.

I was still so dumbfounded by what I was STARING at, that the next moment went by in a blur of half-images: a flash of silver, the tight curl of an arm hooked under my right and over my chest, my feet left the ground as I was jerked sideways out of the immediate area. "Sorry you had to see that." I regained my footing and glared at the red-clad hanyou.

Inuyasha didn't bother to hide the smirk that crossed his face as he stood there, staring at me, and it didn't take a genius to know he wasn't really all that sorry. I had a suspicion that he knew I was coming and just wanted to see if I'd accidentally stumble upon them.

"You do realize that if Sango had been nude, I would have lost my PG rating, right?"

"PG...what?" he asked, confused.

"Never mind."

That's not really how it went, but it would have been funny.

I wasn't surprised to learn that Sango was three months pregnant... but I had no idea that her pregnancy had resulted in such drastic changes in her behavior. I never asked for details after seeing such a display in the woods, but I had to guess that it wasn't ALL bad considering how Miroku always had a silly grin on his face when they were around us.

Back then, I thought he was a crazy man to enjoy the pain she inflicted... but over time I came to realize that such a thing is not so uncommon, and actually has a name: masochism.

Well, I still think he is a crazy man.

-

Within a short time of being home, I noticed something that hadn't been apparent until it went away. I had been so guarded and out of place that I hadn't noticed how subdued I'd become. I could liken it to stuffing everything about me –personality, behavior, playfulness– into a little box with a few breathing holes poked into the lid.

Once I'd found my place with Kagome and her friends, rarely would I leave them and go off by myself. Most of those adventures were a child's act of bravery or curiosity, and I always knew my friends were nearby so that I could go home at the end of the day. But even during those times that I went out on my own, I was still sarcastic, tricky and playful. I'd annoy and torment my enemies with magnificent illusions and woo the cute girls with my sparkling charm.

After I came home from the 'enlightening' journey to my father's homeland and the subsequent stay with the mogura clan, my personality practically exploded from its bottled-up state. Poor Inuyasha... I picked on him all the time. _Especially_ with Kagome gone, I no longer had very much reason to behave. Inuyasha could threaten to beat me black and blue, but I had gotten faster and bigger, and it was _veeeery_ easy to disguise myself through soundless, seamless illusion. (Once, I had the poor foresight to use Inuyasha's guise as my own to throw him off... but Kikyo found me first and dragged me back to the village by _his _ear thinking he'd shirked his duties for the afternoon...)

It was hard for him to instill fear in me, but the day I actually set his pants on fire (hard to do with firerat fur, but my flames stick to things, even if they aren't burning them), he said he would make sure Kagome heard of every foul thing I'd done when he saw her next.

I think that did a little bit of good to help stave off the growing desire to cause mischief.

The villagers had begun work on a new shrine to celebrate the completion of the Shikon no Tama and Inuyasha helped design the grounds based on what he had seen in Kagome's time. A long time after that, it crossed my mind that him doing so could have done something to mess up the timeline... but I have to guess that Fate had its way and life went on as usual, all the way up through Kagome's time.

-

Sango's pregnancy placed immense tension and worry on the monk's shoulders and I found myself constantly running unbelievable errands to find completely erratic things to eat. When Sango started craving foods that Kagome had brought back with her at one time or another, I thought I'd go insane, but it helped me learn resourceful methods of quickly procuring items from all over the countryside.

I_ tried_ to escape the endless mood swings, but the only way to do that without shirking my responsibilities was to help Inuyasha and the villagers to construct the new shrine. After I accidentally set fire to a large pile of timber that Inuyasha had carefully cut and trimmed earlier that week, they wouldn't let me help with anything except the stonework, which couldn't burn.

So, I ended up helping Sango, Kaede and Kikyo in the herb gardens. Sango talked a _lot _...about_ everything_ that I never wanted to know. One day, I thought it might be funny to try on a female appearance and giggle along with the girls, but the instant silence and icy glares I received in return seemed to indicate they didn't appreciate 'being made fun of.'

Ch, they were just especially moody during those months. Yes, I said _they_. It _totally _rubbed off of the pregnant slayer and onto _anyone _she came in contact with, except for me. I'm _never _moody.

Well, over the next several months of Sango's pregnancy, many things changed. I helped where I could, which occasionally meant providing unexpected sources of entertainment. Once, I actually used an illusion to impersonate Inuyasha running through the village without his pants. I thought it was hilarious, but he used that particular moment of mischief against me from that day forth: whenever he got caught doing something that he wasn't supposed to do, he would just tell everyone that it had been me masquerading as him again...

Many visitors came to hear about and pay their respects to the warriors that had vanquished the evil Naraku. Together Kaede and Kikyo told the stories and kept the new shrine, taking on new priestesses to train. We all wondered which one would end up being Kagome's predecessor, but that was something I never had a chance to learn.

Inuyasha refused to leave Kikyo's side for more than a week or two at most. He pulled me aside one day to tell me what had happened to Kikyo to result in such a drastic change in her attitude toward life.

I was amazed at the story and intensely curious about the ruins of which he spoke, but he warned me of the consequences of her wish and wouldn't divulge anything about the location. I was saddened to hear that she had so very little time left among our group, and I knew that Inuyasha would want to spend as much time with her as possible. It was barely noticeable, but when he spoke of the time that she'd have to go back to those ruins to repay her debt, I could see the glimmer of determination in his eyes. I had a feeling that my friend would surely follow her to the ends of the earth...

It was agreed that raising a new brood of slayers would be dangerous in such a familiar and public location, and so we made plans that after Sango and Miroku's firstborn reached his first year, the family would move to a carefully chosen location in the mountains to the north. I knew that I would be invaluable aid to the growing family, so I offered to go with them. Inuyasha accompanied us to the new location so that he would know where we could be found and to help us with the initial settling, but he didn't stay for very long.

-

They had named their firstborn son Kiketsu, for he marked the beginning of their new lives and the end of our quest for the Shikon no Tama. I was very happy to stay with them for some time. I played with Kiketsu for many hours a day, giving Sango and Miroku time to themselves to practice and... do whatever married couples do. I was curious about that sometimes, but not enough to walk in on something that might haunt me for the rest of my life. The time I spent with Kiketsu helped me regain a sense of the childhood I'd lost to the years of dangerous adventure.

Over the next year, we built a small village in a sheltered clearing. The series of houses and tunnels (which I carefully dug over the time I spent with them) would provide the first stepping stone of rebuilding their clan. They would raise their children and grandchildren here, and as the third generation grew old enough, would spread to hidden locations with their new families. Sango and Miroku hoped that this plan would help keep the slayer legacy alive should another massacre befall their kind...

I refused to leave until I was sure they wouldn't need me there anymore, but this time was well-spent and I learned many things. Sango, in her growing excitement of getting to teach time-honored skills and traditions to her children, began with me. She walked me through kata and the basics of using various weapons, and although I was pretty bad at first, I got better with practice. Miroku helped me improve my reading and writing skills, building upon what I'd learned from Kagome over the last few years.

Shortly after their second child, Shiran, was born, Miroku pulled me aside to ask about my plans.

"You spoke of traveling west to find information regarding your extended family." I nodded at this, but didn't miss the gleam of amusement in the monk's eyes. "What method of travel are you planning to use?"

"Well, I figured I could…" I trailed off. How exactly _could_ I travel that far across the water? Water is _not_ my element, so I'm definitely not fond of swimming. I could do the floating pink balloon thing, but that would take _forever_. "There's got to be a way that I could get there by myself."

Miroku nodded slightly and motioned for me to follow him inside. "During the last trip Sango made to the old slayer village, she collected a few scrolls regarding known uses of youki in regards to movement. Some of this information might prove useful for you." Grateful for the information, he helped me sift through reports and theories on how certain youkai use their energy in movement. I'd never thought about it before, but I suppose that slayers would have collected some information on the subject, as it must be incredibly useful to know how certain opponents could move.

Of course, I grumbled fiercely about the lack of scrolls on kitsune in particular. I guess the slayers never really had to exterminate my kind, and therefore never collected any comprehensive information on how to kill us.

One section that I found interesting sounded almost familiar to something I was already doing. When I run, I use very small pockets of youki underneath my feet to anchor myself to the ground and push off with much greater force, making forward momentum silent and much faster than just running, and the additional anchoring helps so that I can stop immediately or change direction without skidding. The idea of movement across the water was that those same pockets of energy could be built upon to pillow my contact with the surface of the water while increasing my forward momentum. Miroku and I guessed that it would be like running with little boats attached to my feet, and given enough practice, I'd be able to do this across any distance like running over the ground.

There was a large lake about half a day's sprint from our little village, so once the snows had melted and the ice had thawed, I made the short trip to try my hand at this technique. I stood at the shore for some time, going over how it should work in my head. I practiced walking around with extra youki pocketed under my feet, which felt strange and squashy. By the time the sun rose the next morning, I felt like I was ready. I took a deep breath and steadied myself before making the first leap. I felt the shift of youki toward my feet... but it didn't work quite like I'd expected it to from my experiences on dry land.

I splashed into the near-freezing lake water, shocked at the water's temperature. During the horrible swim back to shore, I realized I should have started practicing during the middle of the summer. Once I reached the shore, I curled into a tiny ball and shivered uncontrollably, deterred from any further attempts that day. Stupid water.

Some hours later, I started a fire and set out my clothes to dry in the afternoon sun. I decided that my next few attempts would be on smaller scales closer to the water. I moved the squashy youki-walk from the dirt to the very edge of the water in small steps until I was satisfied that it would work. Once I was able to stand on the surface without sinking, I tried a few short hops. After I was familiar with that motion, I continued with making small increases to the technique.

I discovered that my motion was restricted to very little vertical movement, because the father I fell, the more focused youki it would take to cushion my descent without breaking the surface tension of the water. I knew I wouldn't be able to focus that much energy without a whole lot of practice, so I restrained my movement to a straight line and didn't try to leap in large arcs. After about a week, I had grown comfortable enough with the technique to use it easily along the shore. Finally, I decided to try moving across the lake.

The first two touch-offs were perfectly executed, and I had made it nearly halfway across the lake. The third, however, was rudely interrupted by a large fish leaping from the water just before I touched off again, breaking my concentration and resulting in my second dunk in the frigid water. At this point, I realized two things. First, I would need to be a lot more experienced to do this sort of traveling across anything bigger than a pond, and second, the swim back to shore was really going to suck.

I was going to need some help.

Inuyasha and Kikyo came to visit us a short time later. Over dinner that evening, Inuyasha brought to light an interesting option I hadn't thought of before... and strangely, Miroku hadn't, either. "What about that stupid tanuki that used to take us places?"

A priceless combination of embarrassment and disbelief clouded Miroku's normally serene expression as he sat in silence, apparently surprised with himself that he had forgotten about Hachi. "Yes… I believe you're right."

"He would take me all the way over there?" I somehow didn't believe the old raccoon would lift a finger for me without some sort of massive reward.

"He would consider it an honor to assist you, I'm sure." I didn't believe his words to hold much truth, but the next day he handed me a sealed letter and gave me instructions on how to find Hachi. "If you would give him this letter when you see him, I would be greatly honored."

I was slightly surprised at the sudden opportunity I had to make the next step in my journey. It wasn't such a tearful goodbye as my last departure had been, but I knew they worried about my safety while I was abroad. I promised them that I would come home soon…

-

Hachi, I discovered, was not only a cowardly, greedy raccoon, but also a horny old bastard. When I arrived at his den, there were noises emanating from within that clearly said I should come back sometime next week. So I found a sturdy tree to sit in and I waited. And waited. And waited. Eight days after I had arrived, I was ready to storm in there toss his "guests" out on their asses. When they finally emerged from the den, I was rather surprised (maybe even impressed) at the sheer number and variety of youkai females. Hachi followed closely behind and smacked on of the girls on her rump, eliciting a squeak of surprise. There were brief shouts of goodbyes and "See you next year" from some of the older women before Hachi turned to make his way toward a burbling stream nearby.

I used a cautious approach and slipped into an illusion of what I'd looked like the last time he'd seen me. I scampered up to him while calling out his name, and he _still_ jumped in surprised fright. "Sh-Shippo? What are you doing here all by yourself? Where is everyone else?"

"I need your help, Hachi-sama," I said, using my best sad-and-scared expression. "I've got to go somewhere far away and I can't get there on my own! Miroku said that you might be able to help me..." I could see confusion written all over the old raccoon's furry face. "I've discovered that some of my relatives live across the water to the west, and I need your help getting over there! There's so much I didn't get to learn from my parents and I need to know everything, and this is the only way I can grow up!" I paused and withdrew Miroku's latter from my vest. "Miroku also asked that I give you this when I got here."

You know, I hadn't been too sure he'd take me anywhere. He'd really looked suspicious of my request and worried that I might be running away from my group, but after he'd read that letter, his entire demeanor changed. I still don't know what Miroku had written to make such a difference, but between the strange choking sound and the sudden flourish of smiles and offers for dinner before we started the journey, I figured it must have been something very _persuasive_.

Before we left, he asked me if I was sure I wanted to make this journey by myself. I guess he was astounded that such a little kit would be comfortable being alone in a strange place. When I dropped the illusion and revealed how much bigger I'd gotten, he made a sound of understanding. "I hadn't thought you'd come this far by yourself unless you had something like this up your sleeve." He chuckled heartily as he packed a small bag. "Well then, let's go."

The trip was long and boring, but at least I didn't have to run or take any uncomfortable dips in the endlessly deep water that stretched out for miles in every direction. The pointless conversation we had to pass the time wasn't very noteworthy or interesting… A few days after we had left, we caught sight of the foreign shoreline. "Shippo, I hope you find what you're searching for here," he said. "If you're not sure about this, I'll take you back now. But once I leave, you'll have to find another way home."

He had a very important point; I would be stuck here for some time while I searched for answers, but I didn't really know where to begin, and I definitely wouldn't have a way to come back home if I changed my mind next week. "I need to do this." I said, jumping down from his back onto the rocky beach. I waved once before he slowly turned around and made his way back out over the water.

I could smell the scent of fish and humans nearby, so I made my way north and found a small group of homes and some men carrying strings of fish between poles on their shoulders. I could hear them talking and laughing, and I realized that I had no idea what they were saying.

I sighed in resignation and leapt away from the village. I would need to spend quite some time in this unfamiliar territory in order to learn anything useful. They spoke other languages here; their culture and beliefs were different from what I'd grown accustomed to. I'd need to tread lightly and take my time to learn as much as possible, for I wouldn't be able to just barge into the nearest castle and demand information about local kitsune youkai. It would take stealth, subterfuge, and a whole lot of research...

I had the feeling that I was about to have plenty of opportunities to hone each and every skill native to my kitsune heritage.

**-**

**-**

**Author's Notes:** This is the end of Shippo's first story arc. It will be some time before we get back to him, and although I have mapped out most of his major actions between now and then, I'm not sure how much of those that I'm going to actually write in length about. It might end up being too big of a task to document his travels abroad and the mischief he gets into over there. That, however, is a decision that I won't need to make for a while, because I need to get back to revising the parts I've written for Kagome's and the Reikai Tantei's stories, as well as writing more for my supporting OCs, Hananoki and Youganryuu. I've also made some serious progress in a battle scene I'd planned on putting in SatMW, and I've picked up doing some revising in Wander. Lots of writing going on! -- Anyways, with luck, I'll hold interest in this and keep going like a little write-bot for the next few weeks and you guys will get some good updates. Questions? Comments? Any terrible errors or plot holes I might have neglected? **Should I up the rating due to the content of this chapter, or was it vague enough to keep it as-is??** Shoot me an email or review so I'm not left in the dark. ;)


	6. Interlude 1, Warmth

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** The warmth of the morning sun...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** G.

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: **This is a very important chapter, meant to re-introduce two major characters in this story. I didn't mean for it to get this long, but I've come to a decision regarding some of the layout of these parts, and it's necessary for each of the four history chapters to cover a very specific section of time. Just fyi, '_a long time ago_' means _way_ before Shippo's story. Hope this makes sense!

**-**

**Interlude 1 - Warmth**

**-**

_a long time ago_

-

Small hands stretched out from beneath the warm blanket, revealing tiny, claw-tipped fingers splayed wide. The muffled squeak of a girlish yawn was barely audible beneath the thick layers piled upon the small bed, and after some wiggling about, the lump beneath the covers finally sat up to rub her sleepy eyes.

Their den was a series of alcoves and hollows collected underneath the roots of a massive tree, and through her parents' careful and deliberate nurturing, many of the gaps between roots had been filled with flowering vines that wove together in many abstract, intricate patterns. Morning light spilled through natural windows along the eastern wall, filling her room with a warm golden glow.

She slid from her bedding and called out softly, "Mama?"

There was no answer, but she wasn't surprised. Her parents and sisters were almost always awake before her, and they spent most of their time away from their home. She stepped outside and plucked a small yellow fruit from a basket placed by the narrow entrance to their cozy home. She nipped a small piece from the sweet rind and chewed it thoughtfully between her front teeth as she stared out into the peaceful woods, thinking about where her sisters might be on such a pretty morning.

Of course, her parents allowed their eldest children to go wherever they wished, coddling and protecting only their youngest, Hananoki, from the dangers of the world beyond their secluded grove.

Recently, Hananoki had overheard whispers that her eldest sister had taken a liking to a human male in the village, which left Hana feeling terribly confused. She'd only seen one or two humans before, and they seemed dull, slow and fragile –beneath the attentions of her kind, the forest kitsune.

She knew what her sisters were capable of, for her sisters would come home with such terrible little boasts about villagers and creatures that they'd fooled; lives that they'd ruined through various games. It made Hana sad sometimes to hear those stories and know that the victims were nearly always helpless against the tricks played against them. Hana could never understand why they had to act so terribly. She understood that her kind was _meant _to help the forest grow. Her parents worked every day to guide the new crops to fruition and enhance the woods to better provide for the creatures of the forest.

Her mother had expressly forbade her from ever venturing out into the woods, especially at her young age of five summers. There were far too many creatures that would leap on the opportunity to seize the youngest kitsune daughter in retribution for the mean behavior of her sisters, but this morning, she felt a strong desire to leave the safety of the grove and see something new.

Orange light filtered through a precious glass trinket hanging from the low branch of a nearby tree, sparkling brightly in the morning light. It was meant to serve as a reminder to the children that the concealing enchantments surrounding their grove would fade as they stepped into the surrounding woods, but the trinket seemed to twinkle a merry greeting with the promise of something special should she venture out on that fine morning.

The lush foliage overhead brushed together in the breeze, whispering stories of daring adventure and secret romance. It filled Hana with a growing thrill of new discovery, and she quickened her pace to the east toward a gap in the trees. She could see the morning light filtering brightly through the trunks as she raced up the gentle slope, and although she knew she had not traveled very far from the den, she felt a surprising level of freedom and a rush of exhilaration that she'd disobeyed her mother's wishes.

She burst through the treeline and the sunlight pouring over the eastern mountain range temporarily blinded her to the colorful cliffside she had discovered. She blinked quickly to clear her eyes of the glare and stepped toward the lip of earth jutting raggedly from the forest at her back. She rose up on the tips of her toes to stare beyond the soft grass lining the edge at the grey-green abyss of endless valleys below and grinned at the marvelous sight.

Something caught her eye as she took another step forward, and she glanced to her right. Her footing faltered in surprise at the sight of a young man sitting a short distance away, and she stumbled backwards away from the steep cliff to fall on her behind. She felt the shortest twinge of fear at discovering that she wasn't alone, but it was quickly forgotten as she noticed his right arm and shoulder seemed to suffer from extensive, angry red wounds only halfway scabbed over.

"Are... are you okay?" she asked, rushing uninvited to his side. "What happened?"

He didn't even turn to look at her. "Go away." His voice was cool and even, and Hana was momentarily amazed by the distinct orange color of his eyes.

"But you're hurt," she insisted, as she reached out to gingerly take hold of his arm. "Ouch!" She jerked her fingers back in surprise to cradle them in her free hand and blew on the burnt fingertips.

"Foolish girl, I told you to go away." Hana merely stared at him in confusion, upset that he would refuse her attentions. He was obviously not human, judging from the extreme temperature exuding from his 'wounded' arm.

"Your arm, though..." she muttered. "Can't I do something to help?"

The young man released a barely audible sigh and turned his head just enough to look at her. "That's normal. Just leave it alone."

"Normal? Who are you? I've never seen anyone like you before." She watched him in open curiosity as she waited for a response. Hana guessed he was several summers older than her, but he still looked very young. His hair was very dark, but it shone in the morning light with strange highlights of red and orange. Even though she had burnt her fingers by merely touching his arm, she didn't feel threatened by his presence. He did not answer her question, but he didn't move to leave, either, so she gave him a cheerful smile and continued to speak. "You look lonely. Maybe I can sit here and talk with you for a while?"

He narrowed his eyes at her for a brief moment, but turned his gaze back toward the lightening horizon and didn't say anything more. She grinned and sat comfortably beside him to look out over the valley.

Hana sat at the boy's side for some time, content to remain silent and look out over the lush landscape below them. She watched in amazement as a flock of brilliant white birds burst from the trees in the distance and swirled through the air unlike anything she'd seen before. As the birds ducked once more beneath the canopy of trees, she turned her attention to the silent boy at her side. "My name's Hananoki. What's yours?"

He looked down at his hand while he closed and opened his fist. "Girl, why are you bothering me?"

"Because no one else will play with me; they're all too busy." She turned back toward the brilliant blue sky and frowned. "My sisters go out and cause mischief all day, and I get stuck at home, inside most of the time. My mother never lets me go anywhere."

"Yet you are here now. Why did your mother let you go today?" He glanced sideways at her, slightly curious of her response.

"She didn't." Hana turned toward him and smiled brilliantly. "I felt like this was going to be a grand day, so I just went for a walk." The boy made a sound of amusement before turning back to stare out over the horizon. Hana moved slightly so that she could see his face as she continued to speak. "So, you must be pretty bored, sitting up here all day. What are you going to do when you're done?"

The boy sighed in irritation before looking at her again. "I'm going to sit here until I feel like leaving."

"And then what?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"I'm just curious. Maybe you'd like to go for a walk with me in the forest?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"There's a lot to see in the forest."

"Girl--"

"Hana," she interrupted.

The boy rolled his eyes in frustration. "_Hana_, you don't even know me. Why would you want to go walking around with a stranger?"

"If you told me your name, then I'd know you."

He sighed again and stood up. She stood as well and stared up at him with a happy smile on her face. "You'll go for a walk with me, then?"

"No."

Her expression immediately fell in disappointment. "Wait, where are you going?" Her voice quivered with sadness as he walked toward the edge of the cliff.

He paused to look back at her curiously. "What does it matter to you?"

"I don't want you to go, yet." Hana felt tears well in her eyes. "I just met you, and you want to leave already..."

His expression softened slightly as he turned. "Maybe I'll come back tomorrow, if you want to talk again."

She nodded slightly and wrung her hands together. "Okay..."

Without another word, he stepped off the cliff and disappeared out of sight. Hana rushed to the edge and dropped to her hands and knees to peer down into the trees below.

He was gone.

Hana sniffled once, but held firm to the thought that he would come back the next day. She stood and brushed the dirt from her knees before turning to walk back into the trees toward her home.

Her mother was upset that she'd wandered beyond the safety of their grove, but as she'd returned unharmed and hadn't traveled very far, she was forgiven. Her mother warned her of dangers that sometimes lurked within the forest and that she should be vigilant at all times. Hana smiled up at her mother with a bright expression. "Can I go out again tomorrow, then?"

Her mother brushed fingers through Hana's bangs and nodded. "Just be careful. You never know who you might meet."

When Hana woke the next morning, she immediately sped out the front door, pausing only to snatch two pieces of the same succulent fruit she'd eaten the day before. Within a short time, she'd made her way back to the cliff, but there was no sign of the boy. Her heart sank in dejection, but she stepped forward and sat down with a hope that he might come soon.

She stared at the fruits in her lap for what seemed like hours as the normally cheerful sun warmed her shoulders. She sighed aloud, feeling a strange wave of sadness at the boy's absence. A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek as she watched another flock of white birds erupt from the trees in a cacophony of distant chirps. She leaned forward to peer over the edge of the cliff, wondering if he might be down there somewhere. A sound from behind startled her and one of the pieces of fruit fell from her hand to bounce over the edge. She whirled around to see the boy standing a short distance away.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed. "And I dropped one of the fruits…" she muttered, looking sad.

"Have you been waiting for me to come back?" He stepped closer and knelt before her, placing an arm across his bent knee.

She nodded and held out her last piece of fruit. "I thought you might like to try some."

He looked at it in confusion. "I don't eat that."

"You don't? Would you like to just try a little piece, at least? It's very good..." she offered. She clutched the fruit carefully between her small hands and carefully slipped her claws into the yellow rind. As she pulled outwards, a small piece came off in her fingers and she held it out for him to take. "It's very sweet. You might like it."

He didn't seem too interested in the fruit, but he held out his left hand and she dropped the piece into his palm. She watched him as he stared at the glistening fruit for a moment. "I've never eaten something like this before."

"What do you eat, then?" she asked after taking a bite of the remaining fruit.

"Sometimes I eat meat, but usually I don't need anything but red water."

"Red water?"

He nodded and pointed toward a distant mountain. "The red water flows inside our home. It's all I need to live. It's… very hot."

Hana gave him a strange look. "I've never heard of that before."

He finally placed the small piece of fruit in his mouth, and Hana was amazed at what happened. The fruit immediately hissed and crackled as he chewed, and with his exhalation she could see the fine vapors of moisture that had evaporated. "That was really good," he remarked, licking the palm of his hand, which caused another hiss from the evaporating water.

"That only happens when we put water over the fire in the evening. Are you that hot all over?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I want to know, though."

"My skin is cooler than my mouth is, I think."

Hana bit her lip and held out a finger. Quickly understanding what she wanted, he held out his hand so she could touch his palm. "You're warm, just like I am." She gave him a brilliant smile before snatching his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Let's go far a walk today!"

"Um, okay…"

"You still haven't told me your name!"

"My name?"

She nodded up at him.

"Youganryuu."

"Oh." She said his name quietly a few times, familiarizing herself with the syllables. She grinned at him in mischief. "Youganryuu… Can I call you Ryuu-chan?"

He gave her a look of near-comic disbelief. "I don't think that--"

"Come on!" she interrupted, pulling him behind her as she ran back into the trees. Neither of the two knew much about the forest, but they enjoyed the time walking and looking at animals and strange plants. Youganryuu didn't say very much, but Hananoki spoke endlessly about anything she could see, and asked him too many questions that he didn't have an answer for.

Hana found some more of the fruits around midday to share with her new friend. "Will you play with me?" she asked as she stood.

"Play?"

Hana felt confused at his question. "Yeah, play. Um, I'll run, and you try to catch me, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because it's fun!"

Hananoki shot off in a sprint through the trees, not giving him a chance to respond. After a short moment, she turned to see if he was following her. There wasn't a sound and he was nowhere in sight. "Ryuu-chan?"

She shrieked in fright as he touched her shoulder, having somehow snuck up behind her. When she turned to scold him for scaring her, she was surprised by his smile and laugh. "I didn't think you'd scream," he stated. "Let's do that again!"

She giggled and took off running again, but this time she didn't stop to see if he followed. She darted quickly between the trees and doubled back on her path once before dashing into a small thicket to hide. She peered out from the branches of her hiding place and watched as he ran by. A moment later, he came back again, this time at a slower jog. He looked confused as he stared around at the woods, looking for any trace of where she'd gone. "Hana?" he said quietly. She bit her lip to keep from giggling and watched as he circled around some trees. "Hana!" he said, a little louder this time.

She couldn't contain the laughter anymore and broke out in a fit of giggles that she failed to muffle with her hand. In a blink he had found her, and she crawled out from her hiding place.

"I couldn't find you."

"Were you scared?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"No. I never get scared."

"I don't believe you," she grinned, poking his arm.

When the sun began to set that evening, Hana turned to him with hope shining in her eyes. "Can we play again tomorrow?"

He shook his head, albeit sadly. "I can't come back tomorrow."

"Oh..." she frowned. "Then maybe the next day?"

"I can't come back for a while, Hana."

"Where are you going, then?"

"I have to go back to my mountain."

"When will you come back?" she asked, taking his hand.

"I don't know. It will be a long time, I think."

Hana felt terrible and desperate, because her only friend was going to leave for a long time. "But why?"

He squeezed her hand. "When I come back, we'll play again, okay? I promise."

"Alright." She made a valiant effort to hold back her tears, but to no avail. They slipped over her cheeks as her lip quivered in sadness. "I really don't want you to go."

"It'll be okay. I'll play with you a little longer today until you have to go home, okay?" She nodded and smiled at him as she wiped away the tears. "This time, you catch me!"

She giggled and chased after him in the deepening gloom, which was remarkably easy, as his rocky right arm glowed like a fire. They ran after one another until night had fallen and Hana could hear her mother calling for her.

"I'll see you again someday, Hana," he said as he walked with her toward her home. When she turned back to tell him goodbye, he was gone.

-

Hana was very sad for some time after he went home, but every morning she would take two pieces of fruit to the cliff where they'd met and eat in silence. She knew that one day, he'd come play with her again, and she'd have an extra fruit for him to eat.

The summers came and went, and it wasn't until she had reached her ninth year that Youganryuu came back to play once more. That particular morning bore witness to the first snowfall of the year, and as Hana wrapped herself in warm clothes and took the two pieces of fruit, she almost didn't want to go back to the cliff. It would be very cold for a few more hours, and the only reason why she went was to see a boy she hadn't heard from in over four years. She sighed sadly and tucked the fruit into her pouch before stepping out into the snow-dusted woods.

An eddy of wind swirled sparkles of frost around her ankles as she walked toward her destination. She felt strangely depressed that morning, like she should just get back into bed to sleep away the sadness. She sighed aloud and stepped into the light, her gaze trained on her feet. As she approached the cliff edge, she looked up and frowned at the sight of snow lining the spot she'd intended to sit. "I should have brought something to sit on," she muttered.

"Do you always talk to yourself when I'm not here?"

Hana whirled around in surprised happiness to throw her arms around the waist of the boy. He froze at the unexpected contact. "I missed you so much!" she exclaimed.

She stilled in the realization that she had hugged him; she had nearly forgotten that some of him could very easily burn her. She pulled back slightly and released him, thankful that he'd pulled his burning arm away from her before she'd had a chance to hurt herself. "Be careful next time, okay?"

She blushed slightly and nodded, embarrassed that she had just done such a thing. "I brought you some fruit."

He grinned and held out his hand. "Do you bring an extra with you every day?" She nodded in response and gave him his piece.

She noticed that he wore a strange wrap over the rocky parts of his arm and shoulder. "What is that for?"

He touched it with a strange look in his eyes. "I need it to contain the heat of my arm. It's too cold for me to keep motion without expending a lot of energy."

"Oh, okay." They ate in relative silence and watched the sunlight spread into the shadows still lingering in the valleys below. "So, you've been at your mountain this whole time, then?"

He nodded and looked at her. "I've been asleep." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he remained silent, and Hana didn't want to bother him with her endless questions… Not yet, at least. "What would you like to do today?" he asked, resting his head on a palm as he watched her eat the last bite of her fruit.

"I don't know. Maybe we can go to the river. The edges are trying to freeze over, so there are some spots of really beautiful ice there." He smiled and stood, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Are you cold, Hana?" She shook her head and held tight to his hand as they stepped back into the forest.

Suddenly she stopped and turned to look up at his face. "When will you have to go away again?"

"I have to go back in eight days." She nodded and sighed before she let go of his hand to walk ahead of him. He jogged slightly to catch up with her. "What's wrong?"

"Why do you always have to go?"

"Because…" he paused, trying to find the right words. "…Because I live there, in the mountain. When I go back, I go to sleep, and it takes me a long time to wake up again."

"Why do you have to go to sleep for so long?"

"It's just the way that I am. Mother and Father haven't told me why; it just _is._" He sidled a glance at her. "Have you been running any while I've been away?"

"Not really, why?"

"Because you'll never be able to catch me if you haven't been practicing!" he said, running ahead of her with a laugh.

"Hey!" she shouted, running after him.

They played chase and talked for many hours that day, and Hana felt happier than she had in a long time. Youganryuu seemed so enthusiastic to hear everything that she knew about the world around them, for she had learned many things while he'd been asleep. She showed him a trick she'd learned with the flowers, forcing a frozen bud to come to life and bloom with bright pink petals.

He smiled at the brilliant colors, and as they sat in their little patch of forest, the snow around the two began to melt. Hana eventually shrugged out of her extra wraps and reclined back on them to stare up at the sunlight sparkling between the branches above. "I'm glad you came back," she said, rolling the flower stem between her fingers. "I missed talking to you."

He grinned mischievously at her, "You _do_ like to talk a lot. I'm not surprised."

"Hey," she smirked, pushing his arm slightly. "I don't talk that much."

He chuckled and lay back against the ground, tucking his folded hands underneath his head. "I wish it could be like this every day."

"Yeah, me too," she agreed.

The two sighed and stared up at the trees above.

Over the next week, Hana and Ryuu played in the woods and explored the hillside, learning everything about each other. Hana learned that his parents were very quiet, never telling him much and expecting him to learn it for himself. She told him of her parents and sisters and all the mischief they caused in the villages nearby. On one day, the two crept up to the edge of a village to watch one of her sisters steal the pants from an unsuspecting man as he napped beneath a tree.

"Why would she do that?" he whispered to her.

"I don't know. She thinks it's funny."

He shook his head in disgust. "Your sisters aren't as nice as you are."

"No, they aren't."

When the time came for Youganryuu to go back to his mountain, Hana was reluctant to let him go. "I never want you to go again, Ryuu-chan."

He grinned at her and ruffled her hair playfully. "You need to stop calling me that. I'm not so small, you know, _Hana-chan_."

"I know…" she sighed. "I'll really miss you while you're gone."

"I'll miss you too. Maybe we'll see each other in our dreams."

"Maybe…" she muttered, looking at him sideways. "I didn't know we could do that."

He shrugged. "I don't think we can, but it would be neat, wouldn't it? Then you could talk to me and keep me company during the time I have to sleep."

She smiled sadly and held his hand. "I hope you aren't too lonely while you're gone."

"I'll be alright. I'll see you again someday, Hana. Be safe, okay?" He pulled her into a one-armed hug and squeezed her tight as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Sweet dreams..."

He looked down and gave her a slow smile. "I'm sure they will be."

-

-

**Author's Notes:** Isn't it sweet? Remember, Hananoki is Shippo's mother, and Youganryuu is the one that I painted some time back, if you'd like to take a peek. Youganryuu is approximately three years older than Hana. Red water is what he calls the lava. Interesting to think that he lives off of the stuff…


	7. Stumbling Through Responsibility 1

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Sometimes life hurls a curveball at you...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** G. This is a pretty mild chapter.

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: **For those of you who read these things, I'd like to thank Quirkyslayer, who found a problem I'd originally thought about for days and then completely forgot about! Send/email/review with any questions or comments you may have; you might just bring up a point that I've overlooked!!! :) I've changed chapter designations slightly! (That was the only revision for last chapter, btw.) It now tells you which part of the story arc you're reading, and how many are left for that particular portion. Example, the previous chapter was the first of three that fall under that particular title and run with the same encompassing theme/minor goal/adventure. Generally speaking, this also means that I've written enough of the next chapters to know that there will be that many more parts before it shifts into another theme/adventure and gets a new title... I could post the parts whole and skip the possibly confusing layout, but that would make my chapters _longer_ than those monsters were in _SatMW_, and these are long enough as it is! ;)

**-**

**Stumbling through Responsibility, Part 1/4**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

The bus hummed a lulling sound as it traveled along the long road leading away from the grocery store. Kagome's fingers loosely curled around the small paper sacks as she stared out the tinted window at the pedestrians they passed. The trees lining the street were bright with fresh new leaves that rustled with a gentle breeze. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and Kagome _knew _she should feel at peace.

Today was practically a perfect day... only it wasn't.

That morning she woke feeling fine, considering her circumstances. The physical alterations she'd undergone last summer had changed more than her appearance; she had to completely change her lifestyle to hide her new parasitic 'pet.' So, she dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and pants without regard to how warm it might be outside.

Swimming suits, exercise outfits, and sleeveless dresses were no longer an option in public. Her friends ―or at least the few she had not yet alienated― believed she suffered from extensive scarring related to one of her many terrible (imaginary) skin afflictions, and with as many diseases Grandfather had thrown at school officials, she didn't need to make any new excuses for her odd behavior.

Last summer hadn't been so terrible, because most of the Anshan had been incinerated during the final battle with Naraku. Unfortunately for her, she had such a lengthy bout of sickness after Shippo's departure that she had hardly been able to leave the house.

Yet, it didn't matter how much of a social life she _couldn't_ have because of her new 'conditions.' Kagome had a very difficult time leaving the shrine for even the shortest errands because of her grandfather. His health had shown no signs of improving, so the hospital and his doctor made arrangements for him to spend his remaining time with his family at the shrine. Grandfather could barely speak, but the mere sight of his family brought a smile to his wrinkled face.

Her mother and brother had done their very best to help her adjust to her new life and social limitations. Her mother had purchased a new wardrobe of long-sleeved shirts and comfortable pants to conceal most of the vine, and her brother helped by covering for her when friends stopped by. But recently, her personal worries had faded into the background as all three Higurashis worked to make Grandfather's last days as happy as they could be. Kagome was thankful that he wasn't in pain, but his body was frail, and he grew weaker every day.

Every day that Kagome had to go somewhere, she fought the nagging fear that she would not be present for his final moments.

Her bags slid forward and nearly fell from her lap as the bus slowed near Kagome's stop, drawing her from her sullen thoughts. She blinked and looked around, realizing that she was the last person on the bus. "Have a good afternoon," the driver said as she carefully stepped down onto the sidewalk, her packages held carefully in one arm.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling over her shoulder at the aging man. As she walked the block and a half to the shrine steps, her gaze barely left the pavement. She turned left and strode up the lengthy stairway without losing her smooth pace until her younger brother came into sight

He stood near the Goshinboku staring up into the branches, a broom held loosely between his clasped hands. "Slacking, Souta?" she teased as she neared him. He turned toward her, and the marginal good mood she had shifted into immediate concern at his expression. She almost ran to meet him, panic welling inside her at the terrible possibilities. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he replied, turning back around to look back at the ancient god tree. "Something feels wrong, and the leaves never turn brown this time of year..."

Kagome frowned in confusion and gave the groceries to him. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he took the food inside, then she walked toward the short fence circling the old tree. "What's wrong?" she repeated, placing her palm against the rough bark.

"It is fortunate that you have returned, child." The voice of the Goshinboku flowed through her like a warm mist, the tingle of ancient energy tickling the small hairs on her nape.

The first time she'd heard the ancient tree's voice, she thought she'd been delusional with fever. The strange sickness that had plagued her before the final battle with Naraku had returned with a vengeance, lasting nearly two weeks after her return to the modern era. She'd fought a rollercoaster ride of fevers and chills, horrible bouts of nausea, and unrelenting waves of dizziness. It was seemingly only alleviated after she'd managed to escape her mother's healing clutches to wander outside in a half-daze. She'd slumped against the trunk of the old tree and the whispering voice had comforted and lulled her into a restful sleep. (She had a suspicion that the same 'treatment' had happened before, as well.)

Her newfound ability to "speak with plants" seemed to be confined to only the Goshinboku, which was probably a _very_ _good _thing. Hearing the trampled grass whine everyday about inconsiderate pedestrians would probably give her a _permanent _migraine. (...not to mention the aftermath of routine lawn maintenance.) She'd spent countless afternoons under the shade of the ancient tree, listening to countless tales of heroism and historic adventures across the eras. Her mother and brother told passersby that, as the priestess of the shrine, it was to be expected that she would be so absorbed in her 'meditations' that she may not take notice of others.

The Goshinboku had a very interesting series of stories regarding her friends. She was happy to learn that the taijiya clan had slowly recovered its numbers and spread throughout the land, remaining carefully hidden away from their enemies as they honed their skills and weapons. She was amused by the silly mishaps that had occurred during the construction of the new shrine, mostly because Shippo had been playing near the unsuspecting builders... She had been terribly sad to hear the sad story of Inuyasha and Kikyo's strange disappearance. The Goshinboku had a few pieces of information regarding where they'd gone, but their final resting place remained veiled in mystery.

She was upset to learn of the Great War that had eventually forced the hand of the Gods in creating the barrier that separated the humans from the youkai. She hoped that Shippo hadn't fallen in one of those battles for dominance, but the ancient tree had no information regarding his current whereabouts. It had been able to tell her a few (possibly embellished) tales of Shippo's adventures across the oceans, but only because those particular stories had grown so famous that they'd traveled by word-of-mouth back to the area.

"Child, there is a matter of grave importance that you must attend to in the other realm," the Goshinboku's now-familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Kagome blanched in shock. "Wh-what?" she stammered, glancing back toward her house to ensure their continued privacy. She'd never had the desire to traipse around in a realm full of creatures that feared and despised her miko abilities, nor had she thought she'd ever come across the 'opportunity.'

"I have not been whole for nearly four centuries, for my form could not exist solely in either realm. I used a great portion of the energy stored in my roots to split myself between the two realms. My consciousness spans both halves, and it is the sole reason I have access to information on the other side of the barrier."

"What would I need to do there?" Kagome asked, her fingers clenched nervously in the folds of her loose-fitting shirt.

"My other half is in distress. A youkai has targeted it for uncertain reasons. If enough damage is caused... _both_ halves will cease to live. You must make haste, for there is not much time."

Her protest died on her tongue as a dried brown leaf fluttered past her nose. Her grandfather had very little time left, and just when she'd been almost certain that she'd be quest-free to build her own life― A wave of sadness and regret caused her lip to tremble and her eyes to water.

"Do not mourn for those who have not yet passed," the tree whispered.

'_I need to have faith that Grandpa will have enough fire left in him to scowl at me for taking off on another dangerous quest._' Kagome firmed her expression and straightened her posture. "I'll do my best. How do I get to the other realm?"

-

Kagome rushed inside, barely taking enough time to kick off her shoes before running upstairs. Souta was in the kitchen, washing vegetables. "Sis!" he shouted, coming to the doorway. "If you spend all day staring at Goshinboku, you'll never get dinner made!"

She pulled a worn backpack from her closet and rummaged around under her bed for the smooth leather of her quiver. Her unstrung bow stood behind her door. If she carried it like that while she remained within the Ningenkai, the bow would draw far less attention and might pass for a polished walking stick. "Souta, I need you up here," she called from her doorway. She'd already packed a change of clothes and a first-aid kit by the time he'd appeared at her door.

He took a glance at the pack and her determined expression, and immediately knew she was going back down the well. "But you said you can't go back! The well―"

"The well is inactive. I can't go back in time," she interrupted, stopping for a moment to stare down at her belongings with an expression of remorse. Her gaze traveled around the room, resting for a moment on a small collage of old photographs depicting her lost friends. She glanced next to them at a small wooden bowl Shippo had carved for her and had to blink back tears.

"Then where...?" Souta knew she'd estranged most of her friends over the last few years, even moreso since she'd finally come back for good, so he was at a loss for ideas.

"The Makai."

"What? What's the-?"

Kagome interrupted him again. "I'll be back as soon as I can. This is something I can't ignore or put off until tomorrow. In fact―" She paused and snapped her arm out far enough to jerk the sleeve away from the watch at her wrist. "I need to catch my bus in fifteen minutes."

"But Mom... she's supposed to be home in an hour. What do I tell her?"

"Tell her a friend called in a panic about an evil spirit in her house."

"What? She's not going to believe..."

"But it's almost true." Kagome pulled her backpack shut and slung it and her secured bow case over her shoulder. "Listen, here's the short explanation: The Goshinboku is being attacked by a demon in the Makai. The Makai is a realm that is parallel to ours, and happens to be where all the demons were banished to some four hundred years ago. I don't care what you tell Mom, just don't worry her. She's already stressed and depressed enough about Grandpa."

"Geez, Sis." Souta followed her down the stairs and watched her pull on her shoes. "Come back in one piece, okay? You don't have Inuyasha to back you anymore."

She turned and smiled at him fondly. "I'll be alright. I've got a stingy, parasitic plant that eats youkai for breakfast, remember?"

He rolled his eyes and pushed her hand away from ruffling his messy hair. "Yeah, yeah."

She glanced down the hallway at her Grandpa's door, left slightly ajar. She was unwilling to step into his room to say goodbye, for fear of the guilt that would keep her from leaving. "I'll be back soon. Promise me you won't let them worry, squirt."

"You got it. Go before you're late!" He ushered her out the door and watched her run down the shrine stairs. A wind blew a swirl of brown leaves across the yard, and his gaze was drawn to the ancient boughs that rustled loudly with dying foliage.


	8. Tracking the Improbable 1

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Sometimes, we all need a little R&R...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG. Bad language!

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: **Another one? Already? All I needed to do was revise this one and think of a title so that I could post it. Expect another chapter in a few minutes, and then I'm done for a bit. ;)

**-**

**Tracking the Improbable 1**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

"Let go of the damned robe, you fool!" a woman's voice screeched. The Reikai Tantei looked on in a mix of horror and thinly veiled amusement as the twin Naga sisters clawed, screamed, and tore at a glowing robe pulled taught between them.

Insults, threats and poor reasoning flew back and forth between the two thieves as the boys looked on. Kurama seemed to be the first to tire of the display as he spoke. "We've already killed or incapacitated their allies in this theft, so why don't we just..."

"Shh, shhhh... I wanna see who wins. This is so unbelievably _hot_," Yusuke muttered.

Kurama massaged his temples with fingertips and sighed in annoyance. "And Youko wholeheartedly agrees, but this is getting to be ridiculous."

"Plus, we can't attack the pretty ladies since they haven't attacked us first. Maybe we could distract them with jewelry," Kuwabara added. Hiei rolled his eyes and turned away from the catfight to get some distance.

Kurama hid an amused smile behind his hand. "He's right, you know.'" The other three turned to look at him, incredulous at the idea that Kurama would agree with one of Kuwabara's silly ideas. "Considering they _are_ two beautiful youkai fighting over a robe of wisdom, and obviously neither will agree to share, they might be more tempted with..."

"Okay, okay, stop humoring him. You're interrupting their fight," Yusuke whined, trying to catch everything the twins growled.

"Maybe one of us should at least tell them about the robe's aging side effect..." Kurama suggested.

"The what?" Yusuke asked, barely paying attention.

"The only reason Youko never attempted to steal that robe from the previous owners is because anyone who wears the robe is cursed with the age that normally accompanies wisdom."

"So, you wear it to get smarter, but instead you just get really old?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama nodded once. "The wearer would certainly gain great wisdom, but the aging effect is not worth the wisdom it brings. It is especially detrimental to humans, for their lifespan is already so very short."

"What would it do to someone that has a very long lifespan?" Yusuke asked, with his attention now focused more on the information Kurama had to share.

"I never had the-" He was cut off by the unexpected sound of fabric tearing.

"No fucking way," Yusuke said, turning to stare in horror at the Naga twins, their prize torn in half and still dangling from their fingers.

One sister reacted first, dropping her half and flying toward her sibling with glowing knives. "You bloody, stupid, insane excuse for a-" Her sibling met the attack with her own weapons drawn, and the two allowed their fight to escalate into bloodshed as they continued to completely ignore the four onlookers.

Kuwabara grinned at the other three. "I guess it only makes you smarter if you're wearing 'em." Yusuke rolled his eyes and punched him in the arm. The amused interest Yusuke had in watching the girls fight had been squelched under the dismay of seeing the destruction of the artifact they'd been charged with recovering.

"Might as well head back," he grumbled, stepping forward to pick up the two halves of the robe.

'**This is what happens when we allow the fools to interrupt the process of disemboweling…'** Hiei scoffed.

Don't be sad, Hiei, Youko teased. There's still plenty of daylight left for slaying.

-

"Great work, boys." Koenma watched on as a few ogres closed the great vault door. "Next time, though... try not to let the artifact get torn in half between squabbling girls. At least I have one less thing to worry about, now."

"You sure you don't want to sew 'em back together and give it a try yourself?" Yusuke asked

The teenaged demigod frowned in annoyance. "I have no time to ogle girls figh..." He trailed off in exasperation as he realized Yusuke was poking fun at his intelligence. He ignored Yusuke's snicker and walked down the hall to his office as he fought off the obvious flush of embarrassment.

The boys grimaced at the mountain of folders stacked neatly behind the desk as they walked through the large office doors. Koenma plucked a file from one of the stacks and cleared his throat loudly as he circled his desk to sit in the large chair.

Yusuke paled as he glanced at his watch. "Look, Koenma, I don't have the time right now to go on another-"

"I've run out of vital errands for you to do. Consider yourselves dismissed."

"Eh?" Yusuke asked. The others didn't need to hear it twice, though, and he was quick to follow. Keiko was going to throttle him all the way to the theater...

-

Hiei landed soundlessly on the branch of a tree, taking a quick survey of the shrine grounds. Yukina stood nearby, sweeping the sidewalk. A moment passed before she noticed his arrival, and she briefly smiled up at him before sprinkling some seeds for the few twittering birds nearby. The two remained silent for some time; Yukina watched the birds peck at the ground, and Hiei watched Yukina enjoy her afternoon.

After the last bird flew away, Yukina turned to smile up at Hiei again. "Did you have a good-" He had already left. She had but a moment to feel sad at his abrupt departure before the sound of approaching footsteps met her ears.

She rushed toward her newest guest and took the bouquet from his fingers. "Flowers!" He caught her hand with his and pressed a kiss to her knuckle with a smile.

"Genkai and I are about to have tea; would you like to join us?" she offered. Kuwabara smiled and nodded before following her inside.

In the park several blocks away, Hiei relaxed in a new branch and scowled at the thought of the numbskull taking up his sister's attentions.

-

Yusuke tried to ignore the roiling wad of fear festering in the pit of his stomach. "She's gonna kill me..." he muttered as he ran down the sidewalk. He had gotten so caught up in that fight that he'd forgotten about their movie plans. "...gonna kill me twice..."

It wasn't _surprising _that he'd managed to forget (and run late for) another scheduled evening out, but he was _trying _to get on track. He'd made serious efforts to please her with flowers, whisk her away to frilly girl-resort places at least every other month or so... and he made a valiant, conscious effort to arrive at least ten minutes early to their last movie night...

The noodle shop door jingled loudly, and he winced as all eyes turned to his dirty, sweaty appearance and sheepish expression. "Stupid bells..." he grumbled, carefully making eye contact with his very angry girlfriend. The flames dancing in her eyes briefly promised pain and agony (especially for his poor ears) before she turned her smile back toward the girl she'd been serving. It looked like the young lady was getting a quick bite to eat before a hiking trip.

Keiko wiped her hands on her apron and stalked over to his side. "You were supposed to be here an _hour _ago. Doesn't the word matinee mean anything to you? They don't show this movie after this week and we were supposed to..." She yelled and fumed and waved her hands around, completely oblivious to the customers witnessing her rant. He winced and tucked his hands into his pockets as he let her go on about "respect for the relationship" and the "attention needed for work schedules" and so on...

He noticed with a grimace that an older man tossed his napkin down, paid for his half-eaten meal, and then left the shop --followed soon after by the hiking girl, who had her meal packed into a to-go box before she left as well.

"Ooh!" she growled, stomping her foot in agitation. "Two, Yusuke! Two of my customers left and I didn't even get to say goodbye or invite them to come back or anything! …And that girl was so nice, too..." she trailed off.

"Was she about to go on a trip or something?" Yusuke asked, desperately trying to take his girlfriend's mind off of her anger.

"I think she's just an archery- Hey! You shouldn't have had any time-" she smacked him on the arm, "to notice her if you'd been listening to me!"

"But Keiko, I wasn't-" he tried again. Somehow an empty noodle pot ended up in her hand and she reared back to swing it at his head...

-

"I'm home," Kurama called from the entryway of his mother's house. He knew his short time off before returning to the university would be best spent running an errand or two for his mother. One without fear for his life might try to make fun of his preferred use of free time, but the centuries-old kitsune had developed a particular fondness for the woman that had given birth to and raised his avatar form. Her care and devotion deserved the same in return, and it brought him great pleasure to see her smile.

"Shuuichi, did you have a good weekend?" She smiled warmly and embraced him as they met in the hall. He nodded and followed her into the kitchen to make tea.

"I stopped by to see if there's anything I can help you with before I go back to the university," he said, taking a seat at the table.

"Oh - why, yes... There's a package of dry-cleaning that I've been meaning to bring home, but I refuse to let you go until you've had tea with me first."

He smiled and sipped the warm liquid as he listened to his mother chatter on about what she had done over the week. A short while later, he slipped on his shoes, kissed his mother goodbye, and stepped outside to head toward the dry-cleaner's shop.

Wait. Don't move, Youko demanded. Kurama froze in the middle of the crosswalk. Did you just smell that? Youko asked, and Kurama could almost feel the spirit kitsune's ears perk in curiosity.

_'Smell what?'_ he asked, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the street. _'Can I move yet?'_ he added as a car honked at him to move.

Oh, for the love of kami, get out of the street. Just don't go far yet. I want to make sure I'm not imagining things...

_'What did you smell?_' Kurama asked, his own curiosity building in light of Youko's. Nothing average or mundane would provoke such a fast reaction... Youko guided him forward, and then doubled back to the corner and down the sidewalk to the right, hoping to pick up another trace of whatever had caught his attention.

The whine of disappointment was a good sign that Youko had not caught scent of whatever had grabbed his attention. _'So bored that you've begun to imagine sources of entertainment?'_ he teased.

Hush. If you'd have the common sense to find something to play with now and then, we wouldn't have this problem.

_'I'll not allow your libido to take over my studies-'_

You know perfectly well that your studies are a waste of time, and I would not be so callous as to spend every waking moment finding pleasure in life...

_'Yes, you would.'_

There was a pause before Youko finally chose to respond. True. The kitsune spirit fell silent once again. Kurama paid for his mother's dry cleaning and picked out a small bouquet from a small vendor, and (since he was close by) decided to walk the short distance to the noodle shop. It wouldn't hurt to indulge me on occasion, he whined. An hour or two in the Makai with several fem- Youko cut himself off mid-fantasy. Unbelievable… There it is again he chirped, spurring Kurama into following a faintly sweet scent that trailed down the street.

As Kurama continued along, he decided that the scent made him slightly uncomfortable. It seemed like whatever smelled like that was designed to lure in scavengers.

That's _exactly_ what it is for. Youko grinned, his spiritual tail flicking back and forth in eagerness.

_'Then perhaps we shouldn't be approaching it, should we?' _The idea that they were suddenly tracking something that wanted to be found was a bit unsettling to the avatar.

If it is what I think it is, you have nothing to fear.

_'Care to add more information to that?'_ he asked after Youko fell silent.

Not yet. It's supposed to be extinct, and I'm trying to not get our hopes up, yet.

Both Kurama and Youko were surprised to follow the odd scent right to their detoured destination, the Yukimura noodle shop.

-

It was a nice, quiet summer afternoon, made easy to enjoy with the total lack of annoyances. Bickering, ignorant, whiny humans had been left far behind at the shopping centers and busy streets, and Hiei indulged in the moment with an audible sigh. He settled back against the trunk of his tree and watched a cloud float across the sky.

There were a few things he could be doing right now - but taking an afternoon off to brood in a tree seemed like the best idea.

The soft crunch of grass a short distance away made him growl in annoyance. **'I can't even get ten damned minutes of silence in this whole blasted realm!'** He barely spared a glance at the stupid dark-haired female that dared pass within a mile of his tree before he darted away toward his preferred entrance into the Makai. **'Maybe something nasty will come by and eat her.' ** He scowled, whipping out his blade to slice through the thin barrier. He slipped through the entrance quickly before it closed and immediately headed toward Mukuro's. At least he'd be guaranteed a moment's peace within his quarters there.

-

-


	9. Stumbling Through Responsibility 2

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Stumbling might be an understatement.

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** G. This is a pretty mild chapter.

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: **That's it for today, I think! ;) I've got to work on a few other things before I can get back to revising the next three chapters for posting, but expect those up soon!

**-**

**Stumbling through Responsibility, Part 2**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

-

Kagome stepped from the train station feeling a heaviness about her that had nothing to do with her overloaded backpack or her monthly cycles. This new "mission" could potentially last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on how quickly she could travel by foot to the Makai extension of the Goshinboku.

And to top that off, she had to make sure and avoid a certain group of individuals who could prove to be a fatal hindrance to the Goshinboku's fate --or her own.

The Goshinboku had done its best to prepare her for the unfamiliar tasks ahead of her, with images of places and people and hints about...

Well, it's didn't really matter how much the Goshinboku had _tried _to help, because Kagome still felt as though her thoughts had been individually pushed through a meat grinder.

There had been simply too much information to soak up in such a short time. A few bits of information did stick out amidst the hazy fog of confusion, but those snippets only served to make her worry even more. _"The Anshan has realized that you are a special host: one that will not die from its feeding. You are valuable to its welfare in this wholly youki-deprived realm, and it will try to assist you on occasion. Do not depend on it to produce miracles or do everything you desire, for it will sometimes only do what is in its best interest. You must remember that you will be proceeding into a realm perfectly suited to the plant's escape from extinction. Be prepared in case you no longer have its support..."_

She sighed and checked her watch as she fought back a yawn. It was almost amusing that her stomach rumbled noisily only after she had noticed how late it was. Kagome adjusted her backpack straps over her shoulders and glanced down the busy street for any restaurants. People barely spared her a passing glance as she walked briskly down the sidewalk and considered her dinner options. A small sandwich shop looked appetizing, until she noticed the line of customers waiting to be served, and she hesitated at the entrance to a sushi bar until she caught sight of a noodle shop across the street.

Her lips curled into a nostalgic smile as she was reminded of a day she'd taken Inuyasha to eat at a noodle shop a short distance from the shrine. This shop didn't look too busy, so she stepped inside and sat at a table near the register. She propped her bow against the wall and arranged her backpack so it would be out of the way of the brunette waitress that approached her.

It was obvious the young woman was agitated about something, but her smile was genuine as she drew near and bowed slightly. "Good evening and welcome to the Yukimura Noodle Shop, my name is Keiko. What can I get for you?"

She ordered tea and oden, then sat back in her chair and tried to relax. It would do her no good to worry about the upcoming dangers while she remained in the Ningenkai. All she needed to do before searching for the entrance to the Makai was behave as naturally as possible.

The Goshinboku had stated a very distinct warning about a team of four individuals. She'd been given descriptions of their behavior and appearance and had seen flashes of them in action. They'd been assigned to guard the Ningenkai from threats posed by the Makai, especially from creatures that managed to slip through the barrier that split the two realms.

If they were to catch her trying to enter the Makai, they would stop her and potentially question her... of course, she had no idea how aggressive the Reikai Detectives could be in regards to "stupid humans," but if they were to discover anything more about her...

And on the flip side, if they were to catch her trying to return to the Ningenkai... well, there certainly were a lot of unknowns where those detectives were concerned.

If she worried about running into one of the Reikai detectives before she made it through the barrier, it was possible that her body might instinctively react and make her presence obvious through fluctuations in her aura. She sighed and fingered the collar of her long-sleeved shirt. While it came in handy to hide the thin blue vines that had wrapped around her limbs from shoulder to ankle, it did mean she was left feeling a bit too warm during the summer days.

-

The moment her waitress returned to the table with her order, the door chimed and drew their attention to a disheveled young man with the strangest expression as he looked directly at Keiko. Kagome heard her waitress mutter (in a near-growl, mind you) something vaguely resembling a name before she turned back to her with a slightly forced but still-friendly smile. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked, and Kagome shook her head with a smile of her own. It was pretty obvious that the newcomer knew he was in trouble with the waitress, and Kagome hid her amusement behind the rim of her teacup.

Kagome's mirth was short-lived, however, for in the next moment, Keiko began yelling at the poor man. The handful of people currently eating were easily able to hear every word the angered waitress said, and it began to seem as though she would be able to go on for a while as her complaints shifted into words on a more personal level. More than a few people politely averted their attention; a warm flush of empathetic embarrassment for the young man's plight crept across Kagome's cheeks. She quickly finished her tea as the first customer tossed his napkin to his table and left.

She stood and moved uneasily toward the cash register to ask for a to-go box, unable to shake the feeling that she'd forgotten something. The older woman that behind the register stood there with a hand on her forehead as though this sort of thing occurred often and gave Kagome an apologetic smile. She reassured the woman and gave her enough to cover the meal as well as a decent tip before she turned back to her table.

The young man had his hands raised in a placating manner as he spoke the first words she'd heard from him, "But, I _just_ got back from a job. It wasn't supposed to take so long..." Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach flopped as the statement clicked in her head. This young man must be one of the team that the ancient God Tree had warned her about. His team must have finished their most recent mission, and if she could take anything from his appearance, they'd probably gotten back just minutes ago. She needed to make a quick exit while the two were still busy 'discussing' his tardiness.

Her meal was packed up in moments. She picked up her belongings and slipped out the front door. The young man probably noticed her departure, but didn't make any motion that would tell her that she'd already been discovered, so she quickly made her way across the street. Her ultimate destination in the Ningenkai was a park of decent size a few blocks away, and if she hurried there, she'd be able to sit down and finish her food while it was still warm.

A sudden gust of wind from her left forced her hair into her face and she turned her head in that direction to clear her mouth and eyes of the offending strands. '_You've __**got**__ to be kidding me!_' she thought as she noticed bright red locks that could only belong to another member of the team she was _supposed_ to be avoiding. He was heading in her general direction, but the wind was in her favor as it pressed her (and her scent) down the street, away from the kitsune avatar. She shook her head in annoyance and walked quickly toward the park, considering eating her dinner _after_ she'd found the entrance to the other realm.

Ten minutes later, she found the serene green slopes and tall trees of the park. Unsure of how long she'd have before being discovered, she made her way off the regular path and deeper into the wooded area. Her food was forgotten as she began to feel a strange chill creep across her skin. She slowed and made her way more carefully, recognizing the feel of hostile youki. She had to make a conscious effort to calm herself and not respond with a rise in her own aura, but that was made easier as the youki flared once and faded altogether. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and plopped down into the grass at her feet.

She knew that there was no reason that she'd be pursued so soon after her arrival to the area. Even if the punk and the red-head had any suspicion toward her character, she was still within perfectly reasonable human behavior as she sat beneath a tree to enjoy the sunset with her dinner. _'Come to think of it, why __**did**__ the Goshinboku display that kitsune with so many sparkles and petals flying about?_' Her memory of the brief description given to her earlier that day reminded her of some cooing fan-girl's fantasy.

She sighed and poked at her oden as her mind wrapped around her looming and inevitable entry into the Makai. A few minutes later she gave up trying to eat and dumped the cooling contents of the container into the grass. She shook the box out, folded it neatly and tucked it into one of the front pockets on her pack before she stood and stretched her legs. She unzipped her long-sleeved shirt and removed it, leaving a slightly mangled shirt to cover her upper body. The vine needed to have free-reign in the Makai, and the clothes best suited for the job had already been torn to allow the vine to slip out in places along her back and shoulders. It could provide enough warmth against the chill of night without constricting her initial form of defense.

Unwilling to be caught unawares, she stepped on the edge of her bow and tucked the string around her calf. She pressed her full weight onto the upper end and pulled the string into position, then slung her quiver into a more readily accessible location on her back.

She knew she'd have to wait and use her miko skills _only_ as a last resort, but just in case that moment came sooner than expected, she didn't want to die trying to get her bow ready to fire. She bit her lip and looked around the park, finally allowing her aura to expand slightly. The Goshinboku had tried to show her the best way to enter the other realm, and in order to do so, she'd need to locate a very faint trace of youki, and then apparently use one of her arrows to pierce through the thin barrier.

Of course, a tree that had remained stationary for its entire life had no actual experience in opening a breach in the barrier between the Makai and Ningenkai.

It took her about five minutes of walking around to feel the slight chill of youki, and then another two to pinpoint where it was coming from. Just as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, there was a large crash in the foliage directly behind her. That was most definitely _not_ a natural sound in the rapidly darkening park, so she jumped in fright, tripped on a tree-root, and comically flailed her arms about as she fell sideways.

The whoosh of freezing cold air stole her breath, and she landed in an upside-down heap with her face pressed into the grass. '_That was graceful._' She felt the press of motion against her back as the vine maneuvered her out of the awkward position she'd fallen into. The vine rarely did 'nice' things to help her, so Kagome felt more than a little surprised as she looked around at the drastically different surroundings.

'_I guess I didn't really need the arrow to get into the Makai, after all._'

-

-


	10. Tracking the Improbable 2

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Interruptions, interruptions, interruptions...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG. Bad language!

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Very IMPORTANT Author's Note: **This particular chapter covers a lot of activity that happens all at once, but each location or main point of view is separated. I've also inserted a tiny flashback to what happened just before everything else… _To summarize, the sections go: (right now, right now, right now, just a little bit before 'right now', right now). _ I hope this layout isn't too confusing; I just couldn't figure out how to write it together without losing much of what I'd wanted to convey, and the out-of-place section couldn't go any sooner in the chapter!

**-**

**Tracking the Improbable 2**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

The door chimed again and drew attention from the waitress clutching a still-ringing pot; she stood akimbo over her _very sorry_ boyfriend as he nursed a growing lump on his head. Her highly annoyed (although not quite murderous) gaze immediately softened as she noticed who'd just entered her family's shop.

Her greeting died on her lips as she noticed the odd expression on her red-haired friend's face. Yusuke had already stood and moved toward him. "What's up?" he asked, his injury already forgotten.

"It was here," Kurama muttered. Keiko and Yusuke exchanged a glance.

"Um, what was here?" Keiko asked. "Are you looking for someone?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes in contemplation. "Maybe." He walked slowly toward the table near the register that had been occupied not even ten minutes ago by the girl with the backpack and bow. He reached out and touched the chair she'd been sitting in and turned to Keiko.

He didn't even need to voice the question before she said, "She just left. Didn't say where she was going." Kurama was gone a moment later, the jingling of the door the only sign of where he'd gone. Keiko, unwilling to have a completely dull Friday, hurriedly took off her apron and tossed it to her mother before running out the door after him.

"Sorry folks," Yusuke said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Mrs. Yukimura," he said with a nod at the woman behind the counter before following the other two.

"Next time, don't be late!" he heard her shout after his retreating form.

Yusuke caught up to his girlfriend as she came to a stop at the entrance to the park. Keiko was a little out of breath as she pointed inside the darkening wooded area. "I saw him go in there, but I was still a block away." Yusuke motioned for her to be quiet and stared into the trees looking for any sign of their friend. If there was some kind of danger, he knew that he shouldn't bring Keiko with him, but she would be safer with him rather than alone at the entrance to the park.

Keiko quietly followed him as it became more difficult to see. The lights along the paths in the park had just begun to turn on, but they didn't penetrate some of the thicker trees as the couple headed off the path. Keiko's mind was less on any possible danger as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. '_What if Kurama is involved with that girl, and we are moments away from walking in on something private?_' She pressed her cool hands to her face in hope of staving off the growing pink.

The two caught up with the kitsune avatar as he knelt in the grass near a tree. "What's going on, Kurama?" Yusuke asked. "Who was that girl?"

"Oden?" Keiko murmured, noticing the faint smell of the food she'd served. "Why is it all over the ground? Did something happen to her?"

Kurama stood and followed a slightly winding trail through the trees. "She went this way..." He stopped and the two watched him in confusion as seemed to look around at the trees themselves. "This doesn't seem right," he said, his voice quiet. He turned slightly to look back at the two and said, "Get Keiko out of here. I think she was kidnapped."

"Oh, no - that's terrible!"

"What? Are you going after her?" they spoke at the same time. "Do you want me to tag along after I drop Keiko off?" Yusuke added as an afterthought.

"You jerk!" Keiko elbowed him in the ribs and stalked off into the woods back toward the path.

"No, this should be quick. Go enjoy a movie with her before she gets too-" He was cut off by the sound of their communicators going off at the same time.

"Ah, shit. Tell him, if he really needs me, I'll be escorting Keiko home... or something." Yusuke dashed off after his girlfriend moments before Botan popped in.

"Where did... oh, never mind. I thought I'd be able to grab both of you at the same time," she muttered aloud as she opened a portal into the Reikai. "Koenma has an assignment that just popped up. It needs to be taken care of ASAP." She nudged him into the portal before he could protest and zipped off to find the next member of the team.

o O o

o O o

'_Why would it go to a ramen shop?' _Kurama thought, following the scent across the street.

I've no idea. Just move faster before we lose it again!

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, ignoring the gazes that had focused on him. In fact, his internal argument with Youko about his reluctance to give up information had left him so preoccupied that he barely noticed what appeared to be the end of an argument between Keiko and Yusuke.

"It was here..." Kurama muttered, echoing the inner exclamation Youko had made. '_But nothing seems out of the ordinary. Are you sure you're not mistaking this for something else?_'

Nothing else has this particular scent.

He vaguely realized Keiko was asking him something as his gaze focused on a table near the register. "Maybe," he absently responded without knowing what she'd asked.

We need to know for sure. The possibilities, should we get our hands on a sample... Kurama reached the table and touched a chair. The scent was of a human female; nothing strange or special was evident aside from the oddly sweet smell. There was a touch of anxiety present, but if Keiko had been yelling as loudly at Yusuke as she was oft to do, then nervousness was to be expected.

He turned toward Keiko to ask if the girl had said anything before leaving, but she spoke before he had a chance to even open his mouth. She said she just left! Go, Go _Go!_ You still have a chance to catch her! As soon as he got out the door, he turned right and practically flew down the street in the direction he'd been walking. He knew he hadn't passed her coming in his direction before entering the noodle shop, so it only made sense...

There were definite traces of the girl's scent that followed the sidewalk and turned toward the park. _'This doesn't make sense. What kind of human girl goes into the park at night_?'

You are underestimating what it is that we're tracking.

_'You can't tell me that I'm underestimating anything until you've given me more information than _'It's extinct_' and _'Oh, the possibilities!'

I suppose you're right. I'll tell you more once we find it. Kurama stopped next to where the scent lingered and found a large portion of what had obviously been the girl's dinner spilled across the grass. Strangely enough, Hiei's scent was also in the area, which either meant the two had coincidentally taken the same path, or one had been following the other.

The sound of crunching grass met his ears moments before the wind brought along the scents of both Yusuke and Keiko. While he was moderately pleased that his friends would choose to assist him in his... dilemma... he was also disturbed that they would poke so openly into what might very well have been his personal life.

Does this mystery have you so intrigued that you would continue to ignore your friends? Youko's voice held far too much amusement for his liking. I think they are concerned for that girl's welfare.

Kurama stood and didn't even spare them a glance as he followed her trail through the underbrush. "She went this way," he said. As he stepped between the bushes and trees, he noticed something amiss... There was a sort of tingle in the air, and the plants that he passed seemed... pleased? "This doesn't seem right," he muttered quietly. Whatever was going on most certainly made no sense whatsoever. A girl, wandering through the woods with an extinct plant that had ensnared Youko's attention... following both her and Hiei's scent through the woods... and now this odd feeling to the plants and the air around them...++

As he passed by an old, rotten tree trunk that had recently squashed a poor, defenseless bush, he recognized the sharp tang of fear permeating the girl's scent, right before the scent vanished completely. One of his eyebrows quirked in annoyance as he clenched his fist at his side. "Get Keiko out of here." He turned his head a bit to glance back at Yusuke. "I think she was kidnapped."

Doubtful. Why do you spout such silly remarks to your friends?

_'Do you have a better excuse to get rid of them so we can continue our search?_'

He ignored their barrage of exclamations and questions as Youko grumbled about having to deal with saving another hapless human just to get a few answers. When Yusuke offered to come back and help after dropping Keiko off, though, both halves of the kitsune avatar were adamant in their refusal. (Although Youko growled his inner mutterings with far less tact than how Kurama said his own aloud.)

And then... the communicators went off. Ignore it. Let's just go after her.

He watched Yusuke sprint after his girlfriend for a brief moment before he turned and prepared to tear open the thin wall of the barrier separating the two realms.

Botan appeared unexpectedly and shoved him into the Reikai before he'd had a chance to protest or even register what she'd said.

o O o

o O o

Hiei glared down at the offending device in his palm, willing it to short out or spontaneously combust --whatever would shut the damned thing up. While he was within Mukuro's fortress the Reikai wouldn't send a ferry girl to bring him to the demigod's office, and he wasn't about to go back so soon and deal with further annoyances. If he was seriously needed for something, Kurama would know how to find him.

He lifted the lid to the solid trunk at the foot of his bed and stuffed the still-beeping communicator between some very thick blankets, then slammed the lid shut. He frowned in annoyance; although only the smallest of trills was still audible, he knew it would continue to bother him until it stopped. He scowled and stalked back over to his windowsill, taking his seat once more. A cool breeze washed in through the opening, ruffling his hair and giving him a measure of peace.

o O o

o O o

-

_twelve minutes earlier..._

-

In the ever-busy Reikai offices, tucked away in an insignificant corner, sat a little orange man; his eyes were tired and his expression bored as he tapped away at a small keyboard and stared dully at a flickering monitor. A stubbed finger pushed a pair of crooked glasses up the bridge of his even more crooked nose, and the short oni stifled a monstrous yawn.

He sighed and glared up at the clock, willing it to move just a bit faster so that he might be able to enjoy his evening meal. His stomach growled its agreement and he clutched it in annoyance as he returned his gaze to his never-changing monitor.

He blinked in astonishment and rubbed his tired eyes, convinced for a moment that he'd imagined what he'd seen. His orange face paled into an odd shade of yellow as he swallowed and stood on shaky knees to pull a small sheet of paper that his printer had just spit out.

He looked over the report once, then twice to be sure he hadn't misread… Then suddenly, as though he'd been struck by lightning, he raced from his desk toward his supervisor. "Sir! Sir! I've got a code 3-b, here!"

His supervisor, an older oni with oddly placed patches of fur, peered over the rim of his glasses at the paper he'd been handed and shook his head. "Those silly humans need to watch where they're going. Border patrol will find him. Don't worry, Bob."

"But, Sir, I said _three__**-b. **_A _holy_ person has gone through!"

The supervisor dropped his coffee cup in his haste to stand, and the ceramic shattered on the edge of the desk, spilling hot liquid all over the supervisor's legs. He ignored the burning liquid as he shook the paper at the orange oni. "Damnit, Bob, why didn't you just say so sooner!" He snatched a red phone off of its base on the wall behind him. "George! We've got a three-B on our hands, here... What? No, not a human invasion... What? No What gave you the idea that we have a code for vampiric rabbits? No! George, shut up-- _Holy _person! **Holy**! Koenma needs to know about this right away!" The supervisor waved Bob closer and made him sit in the coffee-soaked chair at his desk. "We've already got someone gathering further information-" He pointed to his keyboard and Bob began hunting through Reikai surveillance footage.

o O o

o O o

-

_the present, again_

-

"Good, you're already here. I'll brief the others as they arrive, but this is a rush job that we need to start on immediately." Koenma thumbed through to the appropriate page in a folder on his desk.

Kurama still stood where Botan had pushed him into Koenma's office. Outwardly, he appeared calm and collected, but the kitsune spirit within him was growling in annoyance about meddlesome ferry girls and demigods that needed to learn a little bit of patience...

"Approximately fifteen minutes ago, a human entered into the Makai. Unlike other rescue missions, this person set off one of our alarms designed to detect holy auras." He picked up the remote to turn on his viewing monitor and brought up a map of the park that he'd so very recently followed the girl to. Kurama felt his hand clench in a terrible mix of frustration and indignation as Koenma spoke next. "This is where the alarm was triggered. She, or he, must be located and escorted back to the Reikai for debriefing and memory alteration. We want to avoid any... incidents."

Kurama's eyebrow twitched upwards and betrayed his slight amusement. '_Incidents, as in a human's unnecessary death or dismemberment..._' "She or he? You don't even know the person's gender?"

The teenaged demigod looked sheepish for a moment before he pressed another button on his remote to change the displayed image. "We're not sure what happened, but the surveillance footage is blurred and indistinct. We think it's a she, based on the length of her black hair. She was wearing what appears to be a backpack and a grey shirt with some sort of blue pattern." Kurama nodded slowly in agreement as he examined the picture, although the feeling of excitement that wound through his nerves when he saw the vague blue lines made little sense. "As you can see, it is difficult to make out the details."

That stupid bastard... and we were about to go after her! There's no mistaking what that is, Kurama. We need to get going, NOW

"The holy energy was measured to be a low amount, so there should be little to no danger when you encounter her. But be cautious just the same, because she might react differently if she thinks she's being attacked."

Kurama took the pause as his opportunity to get out of there. "Then I think I should make haste. If there is any further information I should be made aware of, I'll have my communicator."

"Of course." He snapped his fingers and a portal appeared next to him. "Good luck, Kurama. I'll send the rest of the team as soon as I can brief them."

-

-

**Author's Note: ** If you haven't caught on by now, this second arc (encompassing the Stumbling and Tracking chapters) swaps between Kagome's story and the YYH boy's stories, as the events occurring within each happen along the same timeline. ++At this moment in the story, I bring mention to a small detail about the plants feeling "strange." I'm trying to bring to mind the fact that the foliage around Kagome will always have a positive reaction to her presence. It was vaguely mentioned (by Inuyasha) in SatMW after the last battle, but really isn't a very _noticeable _effect (yet?). However, this point is negated once she gets to the other realm for a specific reason, but you'll read about that soon. :)


	11. Stumbling through Responsibility 3

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Sprinting through the dangerous and unknown can be terribly exhausting...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG. A bit violent, and there's suggestion of things that might not be so nice.

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: ** Not much to say here. Send your questions if you think of any, and if you find any errors in grammar/spelling/word use, make sure you say something so I can fix it and not make the mistake again...

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**Stumbling through Responsibility, Part 3**

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_the present_

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**-**

Kagome wasn't sure how long she sat there on the damp ground, staring up at the surreal, reddish pink sky. It was odd to see the sky seem so bright, yet the woods around here were so dark and foreboding. From what she could see, however, she could tell she sat in a sparsely wooded forest amidst skinny trees with branches that looked as sharp as knives. She felt like she'd stepped into one of the many movies she'd seen with strange, parallel realities. '_Only,_' she thought with a wry smile, '_this is the same and more – a strange realm mirroring our own, filled with supernatural creatures and dangers far exceeding even the most awesome movie plots...'_

She stood slowly and brushed prickly leaves and twigs from her clothes before picking up her backpack and bow. An almost imperceptible tug on her wrist brought her gaze to the bracelet that concealed her youkai appearance. After her last visit to the past, Kagome had taken off her bracelet only once: to show her family what had happened.

Her family had tried to support her in any way they could, between difficulties with the vine's slow regrowth and the resulting bout of sickness that she'd suffered from as the energies within her conflicted for dominance, but Kagome could see the disbelief and hesitation in their eyes as they'd taken in her completely altered appearance. Kagome knew that her family would always accept her for who she was, but that single moment when she'd revealed herself to them had broken her heart. She couldn't bear to see those expressions directed toward her from loved ones, so she never removed the bracelet in their presence again.

But even hiding her true self from her mother and brother had turned out to be more emotionally taxing that she'd originally thought, because they'd never _asked_ why she kept on the bracelet. It was as though her errant thoughts had been correct, and that they had no desire to see her unnatural appearance.

She slipped the thin loop of silver from her wrist and shuddered as the strong magic rippled and faded, revealing green eyes, bright red hair and a tail that curled just above the ground. She grasped her tail carefully between her hands and ran her fingers through the soft fur all the way to the tip. It had been a long time since she'd seen the unfamiliar appendage... her throat clenched in sadness as her memory drifted briefly over Shippo and his adorable fluffy tail.

Most of Kagome's memories of the fox kit were of the days when he was an armful of fluff and picking on Inuyasha. It was hard to focus on his adolescent form – her most vivid memories of him were emotional train wrecks. He'd fought side-by-side with her in his grown form in their final stand against Naraku, displaying several new abilities that she'd never seen before. He'd snuck up on them as Kikyo and she had worked to seal the Shikon no Tama. He'd carried her back to the hut with quietly spoken words... and then he appeared only briefly to tell her goodbye before he'd vanished from her life.

Over the months since she'd last seen him, she tried to analyze the connection between them. She'd sometimes felt like his surrogate mother when he was still very small; he'd needed support and guidance, affection and coddling, and a safe place to rest his adorable little head. The relationship morphed somewhat when he had changed her physical form, which in turn seemed to spur his previously stunted growth.

She couldn't place her finger on it – she couldn't count the connection as a motherly one once his rapid growth proved his actual age to be near her own. It was as though she'd changed roles from mother to sister... A tangible bond had formed between them, and in a way, she felt as though she had become an odd sort of reflection of Shippo. She also suspected that he may have borrowed more than just youki during his growth spurts, but unless she saw him again to verify her theory...

She shook her head free of the wandering thoughts and took a deep breath. She needed to try and stay focused on her current task, and daydreaming about her lost friends would most certainly prove to be a fast route to her early demise. The Makai could be a very dangerous place for _anyone._

She looked around at her surroundings and found herself comparing the realm to the one she'd just left. The _only_ similarity between her current location and the park she'd been in minutes before was the approximate number of trees. A streak of violet lightning raced across the horizon and drew her attention to a cluster of strange, spindly objects reaching toward the sky. The sight vaguely reminded her of backhoes and cranes parked at a construction zone overnight, and curious, she found herself wandering toward them.

Instead of equipment at rest, she found a dead spider youkai curled on its back. Its massive legs had been sliced clean off in certain places, and the others were terribly mangled as they twist upwards to set a stark silhouette against the blood red sky. The growing pool of its still-steaming blood reminded Kagome of the any things that went bump in the night in this realm, and she shuddered in slight worry.

She jumped as a blue leaf curled unexpectedly around her neck moments before the entire vine contracted against her skin in a manner akin to a hug. To think that a parasitic plant had developed any kind of empathy toward her distress was nearly laughable – it seemed more likely that it was mimicking responses used between her family members in similar states of emotion. But still... it was odd to think that the vine that had remained mostly inactive over the last several months had taken on noticeably new life in this realm. She could feel the echoes of giddiness as it siphoned off excess energy from her surroundings.

The plant extended a leafy tendril to a nearby trunk and tugged, pulling her away from the carnage she'd been inadvertently staring at for the last few minutes. The image of the Goshinboku flashed through her thoughts as a reminder to her current quest, and she realized she'd been wasting precious time. She spared a wary glance behind her, remembering that there was a chance that the Reikai would notice her movement through the barrier and send someone after her...

She looked around at the completely unfamiliar forest to try and figure out what direction she'd need to travel. The Goshinboku had not been able to give her precise directions on how to locate its counterpart in this realm... just basic landmarks that would prove she'd been going in the right direction. The ancient tree had also given her the impression that the vine would somehow be able to help her make her way. At the time, she'd been unsure as to how that could happen, but as more thin vines began to reach out and pull her through the darkening woods, she realized what the ancient tree might have meant.

She walked through the woods carefully, avoiding contact with the sharp trees and plants that grew in sporadic clusters along the faint path as the vine occasionally corrected her direction. She'd walked for hardly ten minutes before a thick fog seeped from the soil, blanketing everything up to her knees in a thick white shroud that was impossible to see through. ...To tumble around on unfamiliar land, (possibly wrought with steep cliffs, wide ravines and bottomless pits) was already dangerous enough, and to add on all manners of creepy-crawlies with slimy bits, hooks for claws and very sharp teeth that would easily remain hidden within the opaque mist was almost too much...

Her pace quickened (as she prayed silently to anyone listening that she would not fall to her untimely death off a cliff) and she traveled through the misty forest for maybe half an hour without incident (aside from tripping over an occasional root or rock.) She'd imagined her journey to be constant sneaking to avoid detection, or frequently dodging the jaws of hungry monstrosities with a taste for young women, but she had yet to pass a single youkai or evil spirit.

As quickly as it had appeared, the unnatural fog had faded away to reveal the forest floor once again. '_This isn't so bad,_' she thought, stepping carefully over a gnarled tree root. A small, furry animal snuffled about a bush nearby and paused to look up at her. A tiny ear flicked as its little nose quivered in the air, and she couldn't help but clasp her hands under her chin and coo at the sight of the adorable ball of fluff.

...Until its furry lips pulled back in a menacing snarl to reveal rows of impossibly long, razor sharp teeth. '_Okay, _not_ so cute. ...Is it showing its teeth to try and scare me away? It must be afraid of me-_AiiEEE!" she screamed, shielding her face with her free arm as it came flying at her, its tiny claws extended.

Two seconds and a small 'thump' later, she peeked between her fingers to see an unmoving ball of fur lying before her feet. The blue vine retreated to curl back around her shoulder and gave her another squeeze.

'_Oh kami, is it dead?_' The urge to nudge it with her shoe passed out of her thoughts faster than an Olympic sprinter. Touching unknown (and dangerous) things in the Makai was a very, _very _bad idea.

She carefully stepped around the youki drained carcass and continued along her way at a brisk walk, following the gentle tugs the vine made on trees she passed.

-

A few hours later, Kagome was close to tears. She'd stumbled into a hidden pool of stagnant brownish water that had left a greasy, yucky residue on her pants up to her knees. Her feet were uncomfortably soaked, and her shoes squished loudly with every step. The terrain had steadily grown worse with rough breaks in the ground, which lead to innumerable trips and falls. Her hands, shins, and knees had numerous cuts and scratches, which stung as her disgusting pants rubbed against them.

The vine had needed to take out at least a dozen youkai as she'd traveled through the woods, and even _Kagome_ knew that she'd left behind a far too obvious trail. The Anshan had begun emitting a strange, slightly annoying noise that hummed from two clusters of buds near her shoulder and hip, which grew in volume each time the plant struck down another potential danger to Kagome. She'd begun to think that the vine was storing the stolen youki into whatever those clusters were...

She was also positive that the vine had actually started projecting strange emotions and images into her thoughts… The most easily identifiable was content satisfaction coupled with curling warmth that spread along her back like a soft blanket. The plant gave her the impression that it had 'eaten' its fill and was supremely happy with their journey. Of course, thinking that her defense no longer had a reason to defend her proved to be a very unsettling thought...

A bit before midnight, she'd had a strange, eye opening encounter proving that the vine didn't rely solely upon youki absorption to defend her, and wouldn't simply let her perish just because it had a really nice dinner.

Perhaps it was true that the Anshan had absorbed so much that it couldn't take in any more, but Kagome suspected the vine had suddenly developed a horrible, cruel, _vile _curiosity as to how long Kagome could stand before a monster easily three times her height before she ran... or peed herself. Whatever the reason, it didn't even _attempt _toleech a single smidgen of power from the hulking beast that had loomed over Kagome's rather short stature...

-

She felt the slight motion of vine around her limbs as she craned her neck to look up at the hungry youkai that towered over her. It roared and reared back a massive, clawed hand to strike out at her, and she felt practically frozen to the spot, vaguely wondering when her life would start flashing before her eyes. _Just_ before that huge instrument of Guaranteed-Kagome-Death struck her in the _everything_, the vine swiftly pulled her out of the way.

The creature didn't even have time to turn toward her again before a sharp tendril shot out and pierced its neck, followed quickly by several other similar appendages in various key locations. The beast tittered dizzily before falling heavily to the ground, its thick tongue lolling out of its mouth as it fell unconscious.

'_Poison..._' she thought, remembering the description the old woman had given them a year ago. _...Being pierced by one of its sharp leaves will bring you a quick death._

Kagome shuddered in revulsion, remembering she had quite a lot of vine currently growing within her. Maybe she wasn't really immune to the toxins it produced. Maybe only the tips of the tendrils were poisonous, and it was really just biding its time until it no longer found her useful...

She gasped in shocked pain as one of the bright blue tendrils, exactly like the one that had attacked the monstrous youkai lying near dead at her feet, pierced the skin of her left arm. Her hand snapped over the wound as blood dripped from the small puncture, and she stared in disbelief at the curled vine as it hovered in front of her face. It remained there for a moment before it drew itself back into her sleeve and came to a rest upon her shoulder. '_Are you serious?_'

An answering squeeze was the plant's response.

The idea that her vine was already responding to her thoughts was more than a little disturbing, but she had to try and accept the situation in a positive light, keeping in mind that it was also protecting her from the unfamiliar dangers of the Makai.

An odd scent came to her nose as the last of the attacking vines had retreated to her shoulders. She sniffed lightly, trying to ignore the dying creature's rattling breaths as she stepped around it. As she glanced around, she slowly became aware of a strange, sugary sweet smell that had begun to fill the area. It was something that vaguely reminded her of old cake, but with an underlying scent of blood.

'_How odd..._' The farther she moved away from the creature, the weaker the scent. She realized with a growing sense of alarm that the smell was coming from the youkai, and it was getting _stronger._ If she, with her relatively weak nose, could smell that so easily, then she needed to make haste and get out of the area before something curious (and hungrier, or _bigger) _chanced upon her.

Another vine snapped out and dragged her in the direction she was supposed to be traveling, pulling her quickly away from the site of growing interest for other dangerous youkai. She found herself moving along faster than her feet could keep up with.

-

Kagome sniffled unhappily, brushing a tear from her cheek as she remembered more of the troubles she'd stepped into. Just when she'd thought it couldn't get any worse than cute fur balls trying to bite off her nose, disgusting messes ruining her clothes, and multiple brushes with death from monsters large as a house... she'd accidentally stumbled upon a camp full of horrendous, leering, youkai bandits. That was most definitely _not_ her idea of a Good Time... (Kagome could hear a little voice whine in the back of her head, '_What ever happened to the drop-dead gorgeous thieves just waiting to spirit you away to some fantasy setting?'_)

She'd been making pretty good time, allowing the Anshan to zip her through the forest at a break-neck, heart-racing speed. It took a little bit of time and several gasps of pain for the vine to figure out what her body _couldn't _handle as it pulled her this way and that, barely missing several trees that seemed to suddenly appear in her path. Had she been chewing gum during this trip, she most definitely would have died from choking at least five times by now...

When she'd chanced upon the lovely, moonlit clearing, the vine suddenly had nothing else in its immediate vicinity to latch onto, and so she'd come to a rather unexpected stop. The forward momentum from the vine's last motions had made her trip over her own feet, and she'd tumbled to the ground, cutting her hand on a terribly placed rock. She'd sighed in exhausted irritation and had stood to adjust her backpack and the bow still slung across her body.

-

"Well, well... What do we have here?" A raspy voice said from her right.

Kagome winced in slight surprise before she rolled her eyes in annoyance. _'Can't the bad guys come up with anything less cliché to spout?_'

"Looks like we've got ourselves a pretty little visitor," another chimed in. "Did you get lost, sweetheart?"

'_I guess they can't..._' she grumbled to herself. She turned toward the group of humanoid bandits with her hands held up in a placating gesture. "I'm just passing through on business. I didn't mean to disturb-" she glanced behind two of the closer youkai to see a haggard female stirring something in a pot, "-your dinner." She finished, taking a step backwards. "I'll just be on my way," she said with a forced smile.

"Oh, but honey," the first one said, wiping his filthy hands on his pants. "We could really use your company..."

The second leered at her openly. "In more ways than one," he murmured, and Kagome blanched as a few others stood and turned toward her.

'_Ah, crap,_' she sighed, resigning herself to another race through the woods. She whirled on her heel and fled into the tree line, and the vine immediately snapped into action and jerked her away from her pursuing would-be assailants.

The first that caught up with her had been very quick on his feet, easily dodging and darting around the trees to actually pass her and move into her path, but he fell fast as the vines snapped out and absorbed his youki. One of his comrades that had nearly caught up saw him fall. "Bitch!" he screamed and whipped out a sharp knife. He threw it with deadly accuracy at her back, and it would have pierced her heart had the vine not deflected it just in time.

Its diverted path sliced through the flesh of her arm and side, and Kagome stumbled from the sharp pain. The bandit had already drawn another knife and was mid-leap to embed the deadly tool in her spine when the Anshan absorbed his youki as well.

Before the second bandit's energy-drained corpse had landed on the ground, a third male bodily tackled her from the side and knocked the breath out of her. She felt a hot breath against her ear as she struggled to get up, and then heard a pop and a hiss from something at her shoulder. Her attacker rolled off of her unexpectedly and she quickly got to her feet. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of her assailant shaking on the ground from convulsions and foaming from the mouth.

A fading glow from her shoulder caught her eye, and she looked toward it to find a flower had unexpectedly bloomed. A cloud of pollen still hovered around the opalescent petals, and as it dispersed, the accompanying glow vanished as well. The tormented youkai became still a moment later, its eyes glazed over in unconsciousness.

She quickly backed away from him, unsure how soon he'd wake up. She tripped over a body behind her and fell on her butt, gasping in pain from her forgotten wounds. The left side of her chest ached terribly and she suspected that she may have cracked a rib. Knowing that more than just three had followed her from the bandit's camp, she scrambled to her feet and started running farther away, wincing in pain as the damned vine yanked her forward at a faster speed.

-

So... of course she had reason to want to sit down and just cry. She was exhausted, sore, and bleeding, her clothes were stained and had dried muck plastered all over them, and she was hungry. The terrain had grown rough and uneven, and with her current injuries, the vine had eventually stopped pulling her along at such a fast pace.

She'd only just reached the first of several landmarks: a steep ravine caused by a powerful clash between burrowing youkai some decades ago. She yawned heavily and tripped over a rock in the 'path' as she tried to rub her eyes. A glance at her watch told her how very late it was, and she grimaced in annoyance.

'_I'm going to have to stop and sleep in a little bit,_' she thought, glancing around at the ground warily, '_But I can't sleep here... it's too dangerous._' She looked upwards at the tree branches above her, and was happy to note that the species of tree in this area did _not_ have the knife-sharp branches she'd seen earlier.

"How convenient..." She smiled a little as she looked around for a limb low enough to grab onto. One of the vines pulled away from her back and looped high about her, soon followed by several others. She gave her 'pet' a silent thanks as it took her high into the branches and supported her as comfortably as it could. She took off her backpack and placed it against the trunk behind her, to use it as a slightly lumpy pillow and promptly fell asleep, her aching wounds and hunger forgotten in the bliss of much needed rest.

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	12. Tracking the Improbable 3

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**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

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Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

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**Summary:** Curiosity killed the... Well, didn't kill anything important, at least.

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**Chapter Rating:** PG. Bad language and some violence (slightly graphic squishing)!

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**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

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**Author's Note: **Not much to say. Check the end for information.

**-**

**Tracking the Improbable 3**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

An evening breeze blew through the open window and ruffled Hiei's hair. He sat upon the windowsill, his legs stretched out along the edge as he stared out over the darkening horizon.

He'd spent the last hour in this spot, studiously ignoring the barely audible trills of his communicator. Apparently, stuffing the annoying device into the bottom of his trunk was not enough to keep it from grating on his nerves; on top of the wooden container he'd piled every sheet, blanket, pillow and towel that he could find in his room.

If he were needed for something truly important ―whether it be his sister or his friends― he knew that at least one of the team would be able to find him... And he intended to fully ignore any Reikai missions for at least the next 48 hours. After the lunacy regarding the recovery of that pointless artifact, he needed to clear his mind of the mounting anger and frustration.

A knock sounded at his door and disturbed his 'peace.' A moment of silence passed before he opened his mouth to speak. "Enter," he said, never moving from his spot on the windowsill.

He heard the door creak open followed by a single, heavy footstep. Rustling clothes and a clink of armor told him the messenger had bowed in respect.

"Sir," the messenger spoke. "I've come with new information from our scouts."

Hiei said nothing to acknowledge this statement, so the messenger stood and shifted nervously before speaking again.

"There have been reports of a minor land dispute to the northeast. A small group of youkai have failed to stop an intruder on their lands and are being slaughtered at each renewed attempt to force out the invader."

"Where?"

"A grove to the east of the Sanguine River; it is rumored to hold some major significance in history."

"That boundary dispute falls beyond our borders. There is no need for our interference."

"Yes, sir." Hiei could hear slight disappointment in the messenger's voice but allowed him to continue his report without a second thought. "Sir, there have also been reports of regarding groups of youkai and swathes of territory that have been completely drained of their energies."

This caught Hiei's interest; youki-draining creatures were rare, and the few accounts of their activity were never on such a wide scale. "Whomever is doing this is moving in a very straight path through Mukuro's domain," the messenger continued. "Word has been that this creature is heading toward the disturbance in the northeast. Shall we investigate further?"

Hiei stood and picked up his cloak from the chair he'd draped it over. "No. I'll see to this matter myself." He fastened the cloak around his shoulders and turned toward the messenger with an expectant look. The messenger stood uneasily before him, returning his cool gaze with one of confusion. Hiei cocked his eyebrow, annoyed that he would have to speak again. "Was there anything else?"

"Sir?" the messenger asked. A split second later, the youkai blanched and hastily bowed. "No, sir! I'll relay this to Mukuro, sir." The youkai turned and sped from the room, leaving Hiei to his thoughts as he strode from the fortress.

Such creatures were more often heard of in legends or drunken ramblings by firelight... but they weren't _all_ myth. They could be very dangerous, even to the most careful. No need to waste useful scouts and messengers on a task more suited to his skills.

The path his quarry had taken was easy enough for Hiei to find; not only were there already murmurs about a "rogue vampire assassin" between every creature capable of speech, but the Jagan eye could easily detect the vague trail of emptiness... land missing the inherent signature of youki that laced the plant-life and lingered in the wake of common beasts. He carefully tracked this emptiness with his third eye and maintained a careful distance away from the lingering void. He had no real certainty regarding the exact nature of this creature, and he had no desire to suffer an unexpected drain on his own youki through careless behavior.

Strangely enough, though, he also detected clusters of lower-level youkai that swarmed at various locations along that path, like carrion flocking to a rotting carcass in the desert. Truth be told, he didn't really feel like cutting through the masses of mindless beasts that had collected at those places, for it would most likely work against his favor when he finally approached his prey.

He occasionally caught a very odd scent on the breeze as he passed these focal points, and he quickly realized that the unnatural odor was what had attracted the beasts' attentions. It was a scent that teased his baser instincts in a way that stirred his blood-lust; his palm itched to take hold of his katana to slice through the next breathing creature he saw, but he brushed aside the fleeting sensation to focus on his self-assigned task of hunting down the possible menace to those residing within Mukuro's domain.

He quickened his pace, flitting through the darkness and near-invisible to the few creatures he passed. When he came upon the Great Ravine, which lay along the northern boundary of Mukuro's domain, he realized the trail he'd been following had come to an end. He paused for a moment upon a branch and scanned the area ahead, trying to gain any information about the creature he'd tracked. Hiei's eyes narrowed in contemplation as he leaned forward and placed his palm again the smooth tree trunk. He could sense nothing in particular, just the same, empty―

He hissed in surprised pain as something sunk its sharp fangs into the blade of his hand. Fast as lightning, he whipped his hand away from the stealthy creature that had the audacity to attack him and snatched the beast up by its snout. The long-limbed chameleon writhed and snarled for a second before Hiei crushed its face with a squeeze of his fist and dropped its carcass to the forest floor below.

All around him, the trees erupted with an unexpected cacophony of shrieking hoots and howls as others like the one he'd killed reacted to the death of their brother. A cursory glance at his wounded hand showed a sickly green spreading from the twin puncture wounds, and he growled in annoyance as more of the beasts swarmed around him.

His katana was out in a flash, dispatching the foul little beasts before they'd known he'd moved. The chain reaction was apparent, but whether it was from the first death, or those that followed, Hiei would never know. Some fled from the onslaught of his merciless sword; others sought to take him down with erratic and desperate attacks. Hiei cut through them with ease as he moved toward the youki-draining presence. The swarms of little reptilian youkai quickly realized how lethal he could be, and not another of their kind approached him as he flicked the lingering traces of blood from his blade and slid it back into its sheath.

By time he drew close enough to see the strange conglomeration of tangled blue vines and the flash of red hair, whatever it was seemed to be in the process of falling out of a tree. He stopped to watch in interest as a few chameleons leapt down to make chase just out of Hiei's sight. He could hear the poisonous little beasts rustling and hooting, growing in numbers as they moved to corner their adversary. He placed his wounded hand against his mouth to suck a good portion of the toxin from the puncture and spit the vile liquid to the side.

He leapt forward to get a better vantage point, and his sharp gaze caught many details as the female fled north along the ravine, away from the poisonous lizards that had seemed to materialize on every tree.

Her bright red hair and tail marked her as a youkai, and the leafy blue vines that snapped out against her would-be attackers were most decidedly attached to various points along her spine. While _tentacles_ were sometimes seem on various types of youkai ―especially the slimier, more disgusting species― he couldn't recall the last time he'd seen (or heard of, for that matter) a youkai with a distinct, _animal _base physically combined with a _plant_. It vaguely reminded him of Kurama and his rose whip...

He doubted she'd seen him, but he momentarily abandoned the thought of chasing after the fleeing female in favor of collecting something she'd left behind. It dangled temptingly from the branches mere feet away from where he stood, its pockets bulging with supplies common in the Ningenkai. It also carried lingering traces of the strange smell from before that had somehow drawn clusters of youkai...

**'Why would a youkai that **_**runs**_** from her enemies wish to attract **_**more?'**_

-

...Around twenty minutes must have passed since the Reikai received notice that a holy person (female, according to Kurama's earlier observations) had entered the Makai. Kurama stepped through the portal and took a moment to roll his neck and shoulders.

What are you waiting for? Let's catch this girl and get some answers!

Kurama had to fight the grin of amusement that threatened his cool facade.

'_She couldn't have gone too far._' He glanced around the area. '_Hiei has been through here, too... you don't think she would have been stupid enough to try following him... do you?_'

I doubt he would have let a human see him passing through the barrier... and most humans would not have been able to even detect his presence, unless he _wanted_ them to know he was there...

'_I have not forgotten Hiei's general dislike of humans, Youko, but the Reikai _did_ say she had a small measure of holy energy, so I'm merely considering the possibilities...'_

He walked for a short while, taking in the aura of the woods and the appearance of the foliage in the immediate surroundings. '_This is strange..._' he thought. The woods had a definite droop in its energy, which was a stark difference from the forest he'd just passed through in the Ningenkai. '_What changed between there and here, that things would be so dismal and empty?_'

I suppose the most obvious answer to _that_ question would be the realm. Look around; everything here is infused with youki... just as everything in the human realm is _not._ You should know this, Red. The vine that we are going after is ravenous for youki.

Kurama froze on the path in disbelief. '_Are you_ serious_?! Why the hell didn't you say something sooner, and why the hell are we running around after it?! I may as well be signing a death_-'

Calm down, it's not like that at all. There's so much to gain from finding something of this nature!

_'Like a quick, one-way trip to oblivion?'_

No, not at all! The kitsune spirit huffed indignantly. You have _no_ faith in our ability.

_'Well, I refuse to take another step until you fill me in with some details. You should know that I dislike running blindly into the unknown._'

And that's why your life is so _boring._

'_Youko..._' Kurama warned as he crossed his arms over his chest to physically reinforce the decision to stay put.

Oh, all right. I'll tell you more, right as soon as you get moving again. Trust me, it's not as dangerous to _us_ as it is to other beasts in this realm.

'_You've told me that it's a supposedly extinct plant that's capable of luring in scavengers and is ravenous for youki. It's apparently hitching a ride on a human, and both have managed to enter the Makai. Aside from a never-ending banquet, what is it suddenly doing here, and after so much time of being completely hidden?_'

Those are questions I hope to answer by finding it.

_'Well, what should I be wary of?_' Kurama leapt up into the sharp branches and searched the horizon for anything out of the ordinary. Both the girl's and Hiei's scents moved in a westerly direction, and Kurama followed the trail with lithe grace as he slipped through the razor-sharp branches.

Whoever might be transporting this plant ―a vine, by the way, known as a blue anshan― is not your average human. According to those deplorable images collected by the Reikai, the anshan has apparently wrapped itself around this girl, which by all means should have resulted in her paralysis or death.

'_Is it possible that she is merely being controlled by the anshan? Does it _have _that kind of power?_'

That seems unlikely. It _is_ capable of movement like other supernatural creatures, but I've never heard of one actually possessing someone to further its own mobility. The scent it exudes once it has caught its prey can draw more to it, allowing it to gorge itself excessively without the need to uproot.

Kurama stopped at the mangled carcass of a spider youkai. '_This was Hiei's doing.' _The apparition's scent ―fading quickly by this time― headed in the same direction to the west, most likely to Mukuro's fortress. But it was at this place that the girl's scent deviated to the northeast, so he continued after her and dismissed the notion that she might have followed the apparition as a mere coincidence.

The pollen has been known to cause seizures, but on the same note, it was merely used as a temporary method of stunning its prey to better facilitate mealtime without injury to itself.

'_You said it can paralyze its victims?_'

Yes; an oil it secretes reacts instantly upon contact with skin. Protection like fur or scales can help prevent immediate exposure, but flesh like the nose, eyes, or pads of the feet can be easily reached by this plant. It was rumored to be semi-intelligent, so it might actively seek out vulnerabilities.

The last thing I think you should be aware of is the toxicity of that oil. Externally, it causes paralysis which could be considered a temporary effect. If that same oil is introduced into the bloodstream, it clots the blood near-instantly, killing the victim within moments by starving the organs of oxygen and blocking the valves of the heart.

'_I feel like I've just watched "World's Most Dangerous Houseplants" on the Discovery Channel...'_

The kitsune spirit laughed. Hardly a household variety, though.

'_My thoughts exactly, unless we manage to snag her intact and keep her at home...'_

While I appreciate your thoughts on collecting a new plaything, that really made no sense―

_'I know... humor me.'_

Wait― look over there... Youko's voice has taken on a deadly serious tone. He paused against a tree trunk and looked below his branch to the forest floor. This one has been drained of its energy. This only solidifies my belief that this _is_ the anshan that we're tracking. Kurama dropped to the ground and knelt over the still body of the heavily-fanged ball of fluff. No dawdling! Get moving so we can find more evidence! He sighed but quickly acquiesced, leaping ahead with a growing sense of curiosity.

He must have passed more than ten carcasses of youkai that had met the same fate as the furred critter, but the moment he caught whiff of that bloody, oddly sweet scent hanging heavily in the air, he stopped. He could also detect the scents of too many youkai to count, and all seemed to have been drawn toward the same location. He carefully circumvented the odd gathering so as to not draw attention to himself and found a position downwind to get a good view.

Lower youkai of all shapes and sizes were squabbling over a growing mass of their dead, so frenzied in their action that they had no idea that their comrades were dropping like flies. They simply turned toward the nearest fallen corpse to sink their teeth and claws into warm, bloody flesh...

I do believe we need to make a detour, Youko murmured. The first image to come to Kurama's mind was the kitsune spirit leaping into the ravenous fray for his final meal... Oh, don't be silly, Red. I have more sense of self-preservation that _that_.

'_I meant no insult. It was merely a passing thought,_' he grinned. '..._About that detour?_'

We've determined she's headed in a very straight path. Now that I'm _positive_ we're tracking an anshan, we need to collect some items for precaution before we continue our chase...

Kurama smirked as he changed direction. '_**That**__is what I've been waiting to hear.'_

Such a safety whore, the kitsune spirit chided, and Kurama laughed to himself.

-

-

**Long Author's Note ;) - **I suppose some of you may wonder why (or how) I posted so many chapters all at once… Well, I've been stuck, for the last eight weeks, helping my husband with his two online courses by typing as he spoke. It helped him complete his essays and discussion assignments twice as fast, with better flow of speech and fewer errors. _Unfortunately_, that also meant that I was about burnt out on typing, reading, and editing for the entire duration of his classes. And, I suppose it doesn't help that we got a new computer, a couple new games that utilized the upgraded video card we purchased, and also Viva Pinata for our 360, which is absolutely adorable and addicting. ;) On the bright side, though, all that time away from this fic meant that when I came back to work on revisions, I caught nearly every problem I'd missed before and revisions were done before I'd even really gotten into it. :/ No guarantee on when the next chapter will be up; maybe a week if I can correctly outline the next few sections. My muse is pumped, though. I've got a lot of surprises up my sleeve that I'm just itching to get to! Thanks for sticking with me, guys. Also, I keep getting reviews in which people say they're surprised I don't have so many reviews and/or hits. My theory behind this is that people are more interested in fics that carry the 'Mature' rating. Even _I_ wouldn't actually stop to read _this_ story unless it had a mature rating or someone had suggested I read it, either on a board somewhere or on a mailing list. I'm really quite silly. Within a chapter or two, however, I expect to add the 'Romance' genre to the listing, due to an escalation in one of my storylines, and _this_ addition may change the rating, depending on how the writing goes. (Please be assured that this story isn't going to be a Kagome/Shippo romance. While I juggled around the concept for a short while, I just couldn't figure out how to write it.) Much love, everyone. - Ales

**Question Response:** Mysticalflame asked in a review about Kagome's dependency on the vine. To set you all at ease, Kagome does have access to her miko energy. I'll get to a better explanation of why she doesn't use her bow and arrows in a bit. ;)


	13. Interlude 2, Kindle

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Kindling a fire...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG13-ish. They aren't so innocent anymore. Nothing graphic.

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note: ** This chapter concludes Hana's side of their childhood adventure.

**-**

**Interlude 2 - Kindle**

**-**

_a long time ago_

-

-

Every morning, rain or shine, warm weather or cold, Hana went to the cliff to eat her breakfast. In the middle of her twelfth summer, on a particularly sweltering day, Hana took her leave from the cliff side to visit the river for a refreshing dip.

She stripped off her clothes and leapt into the cool water, laughing in her delight. She closed her eyes and dipped her head back to soak her hair before swimming forward into the deeper water. A large fish swam through her tail and nibbled on the flowing strands; Hana giggled and pulled her tail free of its mouth.

She swam for a while and enjoyed the sprinkling of sunlight that filtered through the shade of the trees. She sighed and moved to the shallow bank, stilling in surprise at the sight of her unexpected (though far from unwelcome) visitor. "Ryuu!"

She faltered, torn between running to embrace him and her modesty of being nude. Her better sense won. "Ah, Youganryuu..." she began, feeling silly and slightly meek. His head tilted and he gave her a vaguely perplexed look. "Could you... um, turn around?"

"Why?"

"I need to get dressed."

"But I have seen you dress before, the last time you went swimming... during the Cold, remember?"

"Well, yeah..." She mumbled her response as her face flamed red. "But we're older now."

"Yes, we are."

She sighed in exasperation. "Could you please turn around, just for a moment? I'd feel better if you did."

He nodded and turned away from her to sit, facing the woods as Hana scrambled from the water to hurriedly slip on her clothes. She then threw herself at the unsuspecting boy to squeeze him tight around the waist. He laughed and dragged her into his lap to tickle her on the sides, easily remembering every spot that made her squirm and giggle.

She laughed and kicked until Ryuu finally relented and allowed her to escape his grasp. She sat before him in the dirt, smiling happily as she reached out for his left hand. "I missed you while you were gone! Did you dream about me?"

"Dream?" He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't remember dreaming anything..."

Hana felt mildly disappointed at his response. "I dreamt of you, though!" Instantly, her mood had brightened, and she scooted closer. "Mother and Father taught me great new things while you were gone." He smiled down at her, and she felt her cheeks turn pink under his warm gaze. "Um, let's go somewhere else."

He nodded and together they left the riverbank, hand in hand. Hananoki led him to a clearing some distance away, where a large patch of sunlight poured onto a small collection of vines. Together they sat and watched a small insect crawl across a blue flower.

"What did you wish to show me?"

"Oh!" She blushed, embarrassed that she had already forgotten why they had come to this place. "These are my plants."

"Your... plants? Why are they yours? Do they not belong to the forest?"

"They do, but they're mine, because I helped them grow, and they like me."

Youganryuu gave her a strange expression and she giggled. "Watch..." She held out her hand, and a creeping tendril unwound itself to reach for her finger. It brushed against her fingertip and suddenly snaked out a larger portion to capture the entire digit, causing the young girl to laugh with glee. He watched in amazement as the vine around her hand glowed with a pale light before it shivered and sprouted several small blossoms.

"So the plants have been keeping you company in my absence?"

She nodded and stroked a leaf. "They don't talk with me like you do, but it's nice to help them grow. Mama told me that's what I should learn to do."

He shifted impatiently as he watched her caress the leaves for a short while. "Can I..." Hana turned an inquisitive gaze upon him as he hesitated. "I want to..."

She cocked her head in confusion at his half-finished requests, but soon her expression brightened with understanding. "You want to try this?" she guessed, and after he nodded, she clapped her hands in excitement. "Okay! Give me your hand."

He held out his left hand for her to take, and she carefully pulled him closer to the plant. It immediately shrunk away from his touch, but Hana held his hand tightly as he moved to pull away. "No, wait. I'll help–just watch, okay?"

He nodded hesitantly. She wanted him to experience the joy she felt while handling plant life, and refused to just let the silly thing cringe away from her friend. She reached out and smoothed her fingertips across a tendril to coax it out once more and was shocked by the sudden barrage of images: _fire, burning leaves, stems curling into ash..._ Hana jerked her hand back in surprise.

"What's wrong?" he asked, watching her in concern. She looked up at his face in slight worry. He understood immediately. "It is afraid of me."

She shook her head. "It's not afraid of _you_, it's afraid of fire. ...You won't burn it, will you?"

"No, I won't."

She brightened considerably and took hold of his hand once more. "Let's try again, then."

She used her fingertip to tickle and coax the tendril outwards as she guided his hand with her own toward the hesitant plant. The little vine followed her fingertip until she touched his wrist, where it slid around his hand and arm. Hana guided energy through her fingertips and into the plant, and both watched as new leaves uncurled to rest against his skin.

She looked up at him and smiled serenely before spreading her hands across the leaves and his arm. Her energy flowed faster through the plant, and she allowed some of the excess to flow past the now-rapidly growing flora and into his arm. He shuddered and closed his eyes with a half-smile. She grinned and slipped her fingers through his, continuing the small transfer of her energy through his hand.

The air seemed to grow cooler as they sat in the clearing, and Hana shivered against the chill. Suddenly, the vine pulled away from them both and broke the serene moment. Hana looked down in confusion at the plant and reached out to stroke one of the shaking leaves, but it shrunk away from her hand.

Hana had no idea what had caused the negative reaction, and she reached out for the plant once more. Youganryuu caught her fingers between his own, and pulled her hand away from the flora. "Don't, Hana."

"I don't understand." She turned toward him with a sad expression. "That's never happened before..."

He sighed and closed his eyes before standing, pulling her up with him. "That's all right. Let's go."

She nodded and followed his lead, turning back only once to cast a longing gaze at the frightened plants.

He brought her back to the cliff where they'd met, and together they sat in the midday sun. Hana shivered again and rubbed her arms. The chill seemed out of place for the season. "Ryuu, I'm cold." Hana leaned toward him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Did the plant not trust me anymore? Did you burn it?"

His hand squeezed her shoulder with reassurance. "I didn't burn..." He paused and pulled away from her slightly. Hana looked up at him, wondering why he had stopped talking. He leaned closer to her, his gaze focused on something right behind her.

"What is it?"

"Your back..."

"What?" Hana twist her shoulders around to try and see what he'd noticed, and there it was - a circular collection of glowing stone had formed just behind her shoulder. "What's that?"

Ryuu laughed lightly and showed her his own plated arm. "You've got some like me, now. How strange."

"I do? Why is it there?"

"You shared your energy with me, and I think I shared some back." He smiled at her and pushed a stray lock of hair out of his face.

"Did you know that would happen?"

He shook his head. She carefully reached behind her arm to touch the spot, amazed that her fingers didn't burn upon contact. "Is this why I feel so cold right now?"

He nodded. "Probably. I don't notice it so much after a while. _Everything_ is colder than my mountain."

Hana briefly nodded in understanding before her curiosity about his arm came to mind. She was careful as she reached out, but no longer concerned about burning her hands like the first time. He jumped slightly and jerked his arm away from Hana's curious fingertips. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "Did that hurt?"

"No, no, I just forgot it wouldn't hurt you."

Relieved that she hadn't hurt him in her exploration, she ghosted her fingers over the strange rocks lining his arm, and dipped her fingertips into every crack and over each ridge. "This is so neat! I've always wondered what your arm felt like." Hana felt warm inside as she watched his face turn pink. "Oh! Let's go get some fruit." She giggled and stood, pulling him with her back into the forest.

As they approached Hana's grove, Youganryuu slowed and seemed hesitant to follow. "Come on, I want to see if this will work!" She tugged on his hand impatiently.

"Are your parents home?"

"Huh? Um, I don't know. Why?"

He looked away from her and frowned. "I don't want them to see me."

Hana laughed and gave him a funny look. "Why would you not want them to see you? I told my mother all about you."

Youganryuu backed away from her and looked hurt. "When? What did she say?"

"It was some time ago. She asked some questions about where we went, but she didn't say much more about it." He seemed to relax slightly, but wouldn't come any closer to the grove. "You're not going to come?" He shook his head slightly and sat on small boulder.

"I'll just wait here... hurry back, okay?"

She nodded and raced toward her house to grab two pieces of fruit, barely noticing her mother as the older woman emerged from the den. "See you later, Mama!"

Hana didn't wait for her mother's response as she hurried back to Youganryuu, and together they ran through the forest, back to the cliff. Hana felt somewhat surprised as he turned toward her and whipped her into his arms, and she _certainly_ didn't expect him to leap from the cliff edge. She squealed in fright and buried her face into his chest as they descended. His landing was slightly rough as he bent his knees to quickly absorb the impact, but he set her on her feet and they ran farther through the valley than Hana had ever gone before. They stopped a short while later, laughing and smiling at one another as Hana held out a piece of fruit for him to take.

He sat down and leaned back against a wide rock at the edge of a clearing. The sunlight shone brightly upon the two teens as they tore apart their fruit. Hana slipped a small piece into her mouth and giggled as the sweet liquid evaporated with a loud hiss. She licked her fingers clean, amused by the strange sounds as the juice vanished.

She glanced up to notice Ryuu smiling at her curious behavior. "What's so funny?"

"You are."

She blushed slightly and looked down at her fingers. "I just think it's neat, that's all."

He chuckled and took her hand within his own. Hana watched as he traced the lines of her palm with his fingers, transfixed by the shifting colors of molten rock on his arm. They sat together for the rest of the afternoon, using their newfound connection to experience new things about one another until the sun fell beyond the horizon.

He escorted her home that evening and smiled warmly as she waved goodbye. Hana gave into the temptation and ran to him, throwing her arms around him in a fierce hug. "It's nice to not have to worry about getting burnt again."

He winked at her and stepped out of the circle of her arms, brushing the bangs from her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Hana."

Hana smiled prettily at him and dashed toward her home, slipping inside. She started with a surprised gasp at the unexpected sight of her parents sitting at the low table with an extra bowl of dinner.

"Sorry for coming home so late, Momma." She brushed aside her unruly bangs with a blush.

"It's alright. Sit." Her mother gestured with her hand to the place in front of the bowl.

"Ah..." Hana hesitated. She knew if she were to take a bite of the cooled stew, she would have to explain the exchange of energy that had left her mouth hot enough to evaporate water. "I'm not hungry... I ate earlier with Ryuu-chan."

"Did you enjoy yourself today?"

Hana nodded enthusiastically. "I showed him the vines, Momma! He thought it was really beautiful and amazing."

"Well then, darling, you should go to bed. I'm sure you have an early day tomorrow." Hana nodded at her mother's suggestion and went to her room.

She sat upon the soft covers of her bed and took a deep breath as the darkness enveloped her senses. When she turned to smooth one of the lumps in her bedding, she noticed the warm glow emanating from the molten rock marking her shoulder. She gingerly ran her fingertips along the surface and giggled at the tickling sensation, but then turned a concerned gaze to the soft blankets and furs upon which she sat. '_Mother would be upset if I scorched my bedding_...'

Her gaze slid to a small patch of packed earth where the moss had not yet grown. Quickly making up her mind, she snatched up a single blanket to ward off the chill of night and sat on the ground. Regardless of her discomfort, she quickly fell asleep. Just before sleep claimed her, though, a tiny thought occurred to her. '_I bet Ryuu-chan would make a nice pillow..._'

Sometime later, the sounds of angry, hushed voices pulled her from sleep. It took Hana a moment to realize that her parents were arguing about something, and she sat up in concern to rub the sleep from her eyes. Carefully creeping toward the mat covering the entrance to her room, she held her breath to see if she could make out what they were saying.

Her father seemed angry, and she could barely hear what he was whispering. "...against our kind!"

Her mother's voice was cool and even, and Hana had no problem hearing every word she spoke. "Such steps are necessary, and even you cannot argue with how happy she is. Let her continue to see this boy as she pleases."

'_Father is worried about me playing with Ryuu-chan? I wonder why they haven't said anything before...'_

She quietly walked toward the wall of vines sheltering her room from the elements. She sighed and leaned against the plants, threading her fingers through the gaps to stare out of the opening. She wondered about the strange snippet of conversation for a while, lost once more in her thoughts as she chewed on her lip.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the slight glimmer of orange, and her gaze quickly focused in the night to rest upon what might be her friend. The twin spots of orange winked out for only a brief moment, and she realized that he was wide awake and watching over her home. She gasped and pressed closer to the wooden vines that prevented further motion toward him and whispered his name, "Youganryuu..."

She wanted very much to run to his side so that they could sit together for the rest of the night, but she knew her parents would be very upset if she did so... She continued to watch him until she grew sleepy, then returned to her place on the ground to rest.

The next morning, she awoke with a start and immediately touched her hand to the rocky spot on her shoulder while looking around at her surroundings to ensure she hadn't ruined anything. The room was fine, so she dashed outside and sprinted toward where she had last seen her friend during the night. He was nearly caught off-guard as she barreled into him, knocking the two of them to the dirt behind the rock he'd perched upon.

She giggled and dug her fingers into his sides during his moment of distraction, hoping to find his weak spot. He chuckled and tried to push her hands away, but she was quick and relentless. Unfortunately, it seemed he had no ticklish spots on his torso, and so she frowned down at his smiling face.

"Where are you ticklish at?"

"And you think I might actually tell you?"

"Of course you will!"

"Why would I do that?"

"Do you _want_ me to poke you until I figure it out for myself?"

He blushed and managed to scramble away. "N-no!"

She smirked and gave him a calculating look. "Why are you so shy now? Do you not want me to touch you?"

He sighed and looked away. "That's not it, I just..." He trailed off as he blushed even harder.

"Well?" she prodded, moving closer.

"Sometimes you make me feel funny," he muttered, looking down at his hands.

She squinted at him, confused. "Is that... bad?" She felt a sudden rush of disappointment at that thought.

"No!" He moved forward to catch hold of her hands. "It's not bad..." His gaze fell to her mouth as she smiled, and she found herself blushing too as he leaned closer and looked into her eyes.

"It's good, then?" she whispered. He swallowed nervously and nodded. He blinked and the moment was lost as he looked over her shoulder. "Let's go!" He pulled her up with him as he stood, and together they darted into the forest.

-

"Hold still!" she playfully chided, pressing down on the twitching shoulder.

"Can't..." She could barely hear his muffled reply. "Is it a tree?"

Hana giggled and swept her hand across his back to start over. "No, try again!" She carefully traced the same pattern across his skin with a dainty claw, grinning in delight. She watched him heave a sigh against the cradle of his crossed arms, and a small plume of dirt puffed out to the right. '_Oh, that stuff must be getting in his mouth!'_ she thought, her joy fading away as she worried over his comfort. "Are you sure you don't want to lie down in the grass over there?"

"No, I'm fine. I can't figure out the picture! Is it even a plant?"

"Nuh-uh. Not even close."

"Okay, then it has to be an animal." Hana smiled and continued to add extensions to the "animal's" head. The boy growled in slight frustration. "Does it have one leg or two?"

"Silly, can you even name anything with only one leg?"

"Well... no."

"Then what kind of question was that?"

"I couldn't tell if you drew more than one leg. I give up! What is it?"

"It's a bird."

"That didn't resemble any kind of bird I've even seen."

"Well then, let's go and find one, and I'll show you!"

-

Hana guided Ryuu silently though the forest to a small area where she'd previously spotted one of the strange birds. A measure of anxiety crept up on her as she slipped between a cluster of trees. As she glanced back to make sure Ryuu was still there, she caught him staring at her, but he quickly averted his gaze. His cheeks turned pink again, and Hana found herself wondering if he felt alright.

"Almost there, okay?" she whispered. He nodded and smiled, curiosity practically written on his face.

_Clack, clack_

_Clack, clack_

Hana froze and turned toward the sound. The teens crouched next to a cluster of bushes as she pointed and told him about the bird's strange nesting behavior. "It flips its wings upside down as it dances and makes really odd noises in hopes of attracting a girl."

He watched the strange bird and its equally bizarre display for a short while. "That explains why I couldn't figure out the picture. How do you know so much about what that bird is doing, anyways? Does your kind have to do a similar display to attract girls?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course not, but if you're interested, keep doing all the weird stuff that you do and I'm sure it'll eventually attract one of us."

"Hey now..."

They were interrupted by the boom of thunder overhead. "Rain..." A few droplets filtered through the canopy of trees above and splashed on the teens. One hissed and evaporated as it made contact with Ryuu's arm.

"A little rain is okay," he said, cupping a hand over his eyes to gaze upward.

"Would a lot of rain be bad?" Hana watched anxiously as the light rain continued to sneak through the protective leaves.

He turned a concerned look toward her. "How much do you mean?"

Before she had a chance to open her mouth, the clouds shuddered with another crash of thunder and the light rain became an all-out downpour. For the two teens scrambling for shelter, the canopy of leaves above offered no protection against the heavy rains. They pressed against the inward slope of a leaning trunk for a brief reprieve before going any farther.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be alright. Where can we go?"

Hana bit her lip and pushed the damp bangs from her eyes as she looked around. "I think I know a place, but if it rains like this for too long, we might be in trouble." Hand in hand, they raced through the forest as Hana led the way. She quickly found the large tree she'd had in mind, and the two teens huddled in a protected hollow beneath its roots. The tree grew on the top of the small hill, providing some protection against the water gathering along the ground, and the wide trunk and roots kept most of the rain away from them. She shivered once, only then noticing the ache coming from the small group of rocks along her shoulder. While they had previously glowed with warmth, they had lost so much heat that the rocks seemed a dull, lifeless attachment. Confused, she pressed on the small patch, wincing in pain as a small joint cracked open.

She whipped around to look at Ryuu in concern. She had been in such a hurry to get the two of them to safety and stuffed inside the small shelter...

Youganryuu was huddled next to her, shivering slightly with his eyes closed. Hana touched his shoulder and leaned forward. "Ryuu?" She turned toward him fully and touched his face with her free hand. "Ryuu?" She felt growing alarm as he didn't answer her, and noticed that his lips had turned blue. She shook him hard this time, "Ryuu-chan! Open your eyes!"

He cracked a small smile and his eyes slid open to look at her. "You know you can't keep calling me that." His voice sounded weak and tired, and his eyes had lost their vibrant color.

"Are you kidding me? It was just a little rain!" She shook his shoulders hard again and pulled him into the circle of her arms. "Ryuu, you need to stay awake!"

He coughed lightly and curled into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'll be okay. I just need to dry out."

"But it could rain for a long time! What if you _can't_ dry out?"

He swallowed and closed his eyes again, nuzzling his face against the crook of her neck. He chuckled slightly and said, "Well, I suppose this would be a nice place to die, then."

"What? _Die?!"_ She squeezed him hard, shutting her eyes against the threatening tears. "You can't _die_ because of some rain! You were out running around in the snow the last time you were here!"

"Those things I wore during the Cold trapped my body heat and kept me safe. Without those, the rain killed a lot of my heat and drained my energy."

_'His energy?'_ Hana paused to look down at the young man cradled in her lap. '_Maybe I can..._' She closed her eyes again and held him tight as she focused on the small patches of moss growing nearby. '_If I can send my energy out to plants and help them grow, and our energy transfers like it did the other day...'_ She guided the youki out through her hands like she'd practiced so many times before, thinking about the moss growing around them. The energy passed from her fingers and trickled through Ryuu, eventually filtering into the moss below. He shuddered slightly within her arms and relaxed against her frame. She felt a soft sigh against the skin of her neck, and she smiled a little as she continued to work.

A short while later, his head began to tip backward and Hana smiled as she noticed that he had fallen fast asleep. His lips were no longer blue, and his shivering had subsided somewhat. Struck by a sudden surge of tenderness, she tilted her head toward his and kissed him lightly on his lips, thankful that the time of worry had passed. Satisfied that he would be alright, she leaned backward against the roots and adjusted his sleeping form against her own. The rain continued to fall in relentless sheets outside of their shelter, and she watched it until her eyes grew heavy. Soon afterwards, she had fallen asleep as well.

Hana was rudely jerked from her impromptu nap by a sudden change in her orientation and the overwhelming sensation of fear. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around for a moment in confusion, wondering how she'd ended up squashed on her side. Her gaze soon focused on Youganryuu, who was staring at her with wide eyes and an ashen expression.

She whispered, "Ryuu? What's wrong?" Her glance around the sheltering roots revealed no sign of danger. "Ryuu?" He still hadn't answered her, and as she looked up at him again, she realized he hadn't moved. She reached up to touch his face and murmured his name again in concern. Had he forgotten where he was? Did the rain affect him so badly? Was he dreaming? Her thoughts ran wild with all sorts of possibilities until her hand made contact with his skin.

He was cool to the touch, which was _very_ strange for him, but his expression cleared and softened as he looked down at her. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked, bringing up her other hand to frame his face. "You're kind of cold..."

"Am I?" he asked. He moved to look at his arms and legs, and as he did, both of the teens realized that he had sprawled across her sometime before waking. "Sorry!" He blushed and scrambled backwards, giving her room to sit up. "I've never slept outside of the Deep Rest... I was very disturbed when I woke up here. I didn't even realize that you were with me at first; I thought I was dreaming." He looked outside at the bright forest. "How long have we been here?"

Hana glanced outside, squinting against the sunshine. "Hm..." she muttered, taking note of anything that may have changed since they'd arrived in the small hollow. The ground no longer seemed soaked from the heavy rainfall, which meant they'd been there at least overnight. There was also a small cluster of new plants growing just outside the entrance to the hollow that she hadn't noticed before. If they really hadn't been there when they'd arrived... Hana's eyes widened in fear. "Uh-oh!"

"What?"

"I think my parents are going to be really mad at me."

"What? Why?"

"I think we've been asleep for too long!" He didn't seem to understand what she meant, so she clarified. "We may have been gone for a few days, and my parents always want me home _every night._ If I don't come home for so long, then they might think something bad happened..."

"Oh." Ryuu didn't seem to be that bothered by her statement, though. "I'm sure they won't mind. You're safe, so that should be all that matters, right?"

Hana gave him a funny look. "I don't think so; my parents are very..."

Ryuu nodded and looked away, wordlessly telling her she didn't need to continue her sentence. "Well, I suppose you'd better go home and make sure they don't worry too much, then."

Hana frowned and reached out to take his hands. "It doesn't really matter what they think right now. I was worried about you, and I still am. Why are you so cold?"

"I don't know. I feel fine."

"Can you tell how many days you have before you need to go back to your mountain?"

"I can't be sure. I knew I had eight days when I came here, but without knowing how long we were gone..." He trailed off and absently ran a finger along the glowing grooves on his right arm. "Thank you."

"For what?" She moved to sit at his side.

"You saved me. I didn't think the rain would be that dangerous, but I was wrong. Mother never really explained what the rain could do to us."

"Does she even know what rain is? You said that she and your father spend so much time beneath the mountain."

"They do come out to watch the moon rise, but they are so old; certainly they would have experienced rainfall at one point in their lives."

"Maybe they did, but since it made you so sleepy, they might have just gone back into the mountain to go to sleep."

He nodded slowly in understanding. "That sounds right. How strange that I could nearly be killed by something so simple."

"Do those cold-weather wraps work to keep out the rain, too?"

He nodded again, smiling at her. "You're just a pile of good ideas today."

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance and ruffled his hair. "I always have good ideas!"

"Sure you do, Hana. Sure you do."

-

Hana's parents were definitely angry when she returned home, but when they saw she was in fine health and spirits, they weren't too hard on her. She spent the evening explaining to her mother what had happened. Of course, her mother and father had been terribly worried about her safety, but they were somewhat appeased by Hana's story about the rain and the danger it had posed to Ryuu. Her father reached over to take hold of her mother's hand in a gesture of support when Hana had begun to tell them about it taking days of sleep to recover their energy after she'd helped him.

Hana thought it sweet that her mother's eyes had become bright and teary after her story had ended. "That was very brave, Hana. Were you two out in the rain for very long?"

"No, but the little that got on us was really bad."

Hana's mother patted her head with a big smile and told her that she should get some rest. Hana quietly complied and went to her room, but it took her a long time to fall asleep that night. Ryuu had taken up a position closer to her home, and she could easily see the glow of his arm and eyes through the woods. She sighed and laid her head upon her arm as she watched him, wishing she could curl into his arms and lose herself in the comfort.

-

They spent the next day together, but Youganryuu informed her of his intent to return home that evening. "I should go home tonight. I don't know if I need to be back sooner because of the incident in the rain, but I don't want to be caught off-guard by anything."

Hana nodded solemnly, knowing she'd rather he remain safe until the next time they could meet. She was surprised when he kissed her goodbye, and her blush was so pronounced that she felt it would linger on her cheeks for weeks. The two had exchanged so many words during their time together that it felt strange to remain silent during his departure, but that chaste kiss stood for so many words that she couldn't have imagined him saying.

She knew she'd see him again soon.

Hana remained quiet and lost in her thoughts over the next few weeks as she wondered about his welfare. She spent many hours on the cliff staring over the horizon as her breakfast remained untouched in her lap. A month after his departure, she began to dream of him. Sometimes they would just sit together on the cliff, other times they would exchange quiet words that she could never quite recall the next day. Once in a while, her dreams would be so vivid that she almost felt as though she could feel his hand within hers. She began to dwell on her dreams during the waking hours, wondering if it was some sort of connection to her best friend. She sometimes wondered if, perhaps, she might be able to dream of him more often if she slept during the day, but her mother wouldn't allow her to linger in the house for long.

The years passed slowly for Hananoki as she grew into a young lady. Her thoughts centered on Youganryuu and her wish for his return, and the time she spent near her family dwindled as she aimlessly wandered the woods. She wished for nothing but his awakening, and she constantly wondered about how he had changed over the last few years. Her dreams of him were always of his form just before he'd left, but she knew that he'd be even more handsome the next time she saw him. Her wistful sighs and daydreams kept her occupied almost as much as her studies of plant-life.

When she reached her sixteenth summer, nearly four years had passed since she'd last seen her friend. She still dreamt of him often, and she occasionally would slip into a short doze in a secluded location away from home, hoping to catch another glimpse of him. The day Youganryuu returned to her, she had fallen asleep next to a rocky outcropping. She had stretched her slim body out beneath the warm rays of the mid-morning sun, but she'd angled herself so that her face remained in the shade cast by the rocks.

Something tickled her face and drew her out of the dreamless sleep, and she absently brushed her nose to wave away the annoyance. She had almost slipped back into sleep when another tickle ran across her cheek and down her neck, and this time her tail swept up to make a more thorough motion. '_It's just a dragonfly...'_ she thought, hiding her face beneath her tail. They had been flying around this portion of the forest for the last week, and they sometimes landed on her to watch her work with the plant-life.

When the tickle turned into a defined touch running across her collarbone and down her shoulder, her eyes snapped open and she stared up in confusion at the person standing above her. His face was hard to see with the sunlight shining so brightly behind him, but she immediately knew who he was. "Ryuu!"

She sat up quickly and threw her arms around him, and he met her happy welcome with another unexpected kiss. This time, it wasn't as chaste as the one he'd left her with. His lips were warmer than hers, but then he ran his tongue across her lips and she gasped at how _hot_ it was. Had she not carried a residual trace of his energy, Hana was positive he'd have scorched her with such an act. His lips sealed to hers as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, touching it to hers for the briefest of moments. She could practically _feel_ his desperate passion as he held her tighter. It was an experience that Hana hadn't expected and could never have imagined, and she pulled back in surprise to look at him.

"Hana...?" He seemed hurt that she'd pulled away.

"What was that for?" she asked, bringing her fingers to her lips.

"I missed you," he muttered as his face turned a bright red.

She smiled and touched his face reassuringly. "I missed you, too, but... why did you kiss me like that?"

He looked confused for a moment. "Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

"Kiss?"

He nodded hesitantly.

"I suppose so, but you didn't even say hello before you leapt in!"

He looked sheepish for a moment and rubbed his hands across his pants. "Sorry... I've just been wanting to–" he cut himself off suddenly, his face turning even redder.

"Wanting to kiss me?" she guessed, leaning toward him.

He nodded and looked away, and Hana took a moment to look at how much he had grown over the last four years. His hair had grown longer and his muscles had gained definition; the pebbled pattern of glowing rocks had begun to stretch across his chest and back. He had become a very handsome man over the last four years –not that she had ever thought otherwise.

She touched his hand to draw his attention back to her once again. "How long can you stay this time?"

He stood and pulled her up with him; she was surprised at how tall he'd gotten. "There is something I need to tell you."

She frowned in worry at his answer, wondering why he didn't tell her right away.

"I discovered something after I returned home... And if I'm right, I'll never have to go home again."

"What?"

"Hana, I want to stay with you, forever."

"But the Deep Rest... You have to go back to regain your energy."

He shook his head and pulled her close. "When you shared your energy with me, I no longer needed to sleep in the mountain. I sat by the red water for a very long time before I finally felt the need to return to Rest. If you and I were to stay together, I would never have to return."

"Together? Like..." Her eyes widened as she blushed. "Like mates?"

"Your sisters have all found their own..." He stopped himself mid-sentence. "You didn't have your sights set on somebody else, did you?"

"My– what?" Her face was still ablaze as the implication of what he'd suggested continued to bounce around in her mind.

"Your sisters have their mates. Your mother is mated to your father. Certainly you did not plan to remain alone for the rest of your life, waiting years for me to come visit you for a week at a time?"

"Ah– I... I hadn't... thought of that..." she lied. She _had_ thought about what it might mean for her to live with Youganryuu, but it had seemed so impossible that she had refused to allow her thoughts to linger on it for long. "How is it possible, though?" She looked up at him then, feeling the stirrings of hope within her.

She watched as he leaned forward to kiss her again. He moved slowly, giving her time to pull away, and his gaze warmed as she met him halfway. His lips moved over hers with a careful tenderness, and Hana closed her eyes and sighed in contented bliss as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He pulled back and nudged her forehead with his own. She opened her eyes to look up into his warm expression. "Would you be my mate?"

Hana swallowed in anticipation and nodded her agreement. "Now?"

He shook his head and laughed a little. "No, we have to wait."

"Wait for what?" she asked, feeling a little nervous and excited at the idea of keeping her friend forever at her side.

He grasped her hands within his own and kissed her fingertips. "We must wait for the full moon. My parents... I discovered why they always go to the surface to watch the moon rise. Our energy levels practically vanish for some time during the middle of the night when the moon is brightest, and so my parents are unable to do their duties within the mountain until the moon has passed its zenith. It's a strange occurrence, but I believe that if we were to..." he trailed off, slightly uncomfortable. "If our energy exchange happens at that time, I believe that our connection will be heavier with your influence than with mine, and I'll be able to stay here, away from the mountain."

"But don't you have a responsibility to the land, just like I have to the forest?"

He nodded. "My parents are getting old, and my doing this might result in some problems, but I believe that I will still have the same abilities as before. I don't think my kind should have to sleep their lives away only to waste what little time they have on changing the ground of this tiny little island."

He turned away from her then, and Hana watched as he looked toward the ground. "There is more to this world than our island. Why must my kind expend our energies making it bigger? I know there is land so vast out there that we might never be able to walk the entire distance, and I want to know what it's like," he turned back to look her in the eyes, "with _you_."

Hana shivered at the intensity of his gaze as he pulled her close. She was left speechless as he dipped his head to kiss her again, and she placed her hands upon his chest as his lips moved over hers. "When?" she whispered against his lips.

"Tomorrow night."

"Yes," she agreed and kissed him once more.

Later that afternoon, Hana and Ryuu found a location they deemed suitable to spend the next evening. She focused her energy into growing a thick bed of moss and springy vines, while Ryuu went back to his mountain to collect some of the fire-proof wraps his kind used to cover their rocky plating. The two worked carefully to make sure everything would be perfect for the next evening, and Hana felt nervous and giddy at the thought of what she would be doing with him. She hadn't ever _asked_ for details concerning the event, but she'd learned a few things over the years through overhearing portions of conversation between her sisters and their men, or her mother and father.

The only thing that made her pause was that she had no idea how the permanent exchange of energy occurred. She understood that it was something different. It was something so important and pronounced that the event would shake the ground and could be seen for miles above the treetops; she had seen the immediate aftereffects of her sister's joining with the male elemental from the waterfall. When she brought up her worry to Ryuu, he warned her against asking her mother or father. She wasn't sure why he would ask such a thing of her. He instead suggested that she ask one of her sisters, and Hana immediately nodded and ran off through the woods to find the eldest.

The eldest sister had mated to one of the humans from the village, and as such, the two had moved into a hut just within the treeline nearest the village. "Sister?" Hana called aloud, standing just outside the entrance to the home.

Her sister stepped from her hut in silence and immediately smiled upon seeing her youngest sibling. "Hana-chan, what are you doing here so late?" She stepped out into the evening light and pulled Hana into a tight embrace. As she pulled back to give the younger girl a good look, her smile shifted into a frown of concern. "You look as though something troubles you."

"Yes… I need to know something very important." Hana fought valiantly against the rising blush as she tried to ask the questions burning in her mind, but her words tripped over themselves and Hana felt like a complete fool before she'd finished a complete sentence.

Her sister laughed, and the beautiful long curls of her hair shook in her mirth. "You are thinking too much into this, darling. Just do what is natural, and you shall see that everything is right."

Hana felt immense relief at this answer, until she realized that she really didn't know what would be 'natural.' Her expression of compounding confusion made her elder sister laugh even harder. "Do not fret! You will find out soon enough. Just remember to touch, feel, and enjoy."

If it was possible, Hana's face darkened even further as her throat seemed to dry. The two sisters stood for a moment in silence as the crickets began their song. "Hana, you have truly grown into a young woman. There is something I would like for you to have for this special occasion."

Hana blinked up at her sister in curiosity.

"Come back in a little while so that I might have time to prepare it for you, okay?" Hana nodded.

Her sister did not reenter her home after Hana left; instead, she stepped quietly into the woods to have a concerned talk with her parents.

Hana made a quiet trip to the river, wondering at the events to come. Her life had been so strange since her chance meeting with Youganryuu. After she'd met him and become his only friend, her life revolved around the several days they could spend with one another before he had to leave for years on end. The thought that she might never have to tell him goodbye thrilled her and warmed her spirit, and the trees and plants around her flourished with the excess of her joy.

She took some time to bathe in the silence of the night. She would return to Ryuu that night; she had no reason or desire to sleep by herself, especially now that she might get to see how good of a pillow he'd make. Her lips tilted in a smile as she stepped from the cool water into the warmth of night, flicking her tail and running her fingers through her hair to squeeze out the excess water. She took her time to dress and made her way back to her sister's house, sure that she'd given her sister enough time to prepare whatever she'd had in mind.

Her sister had sat beneath a large tree next to her home with a package at her side. "Is your joining to be soon?" she asked, motioning for Hana to sit at her side.

Hana nodded with another blush. "Tomorrow's eve," she said.

Her sister seemed slightly surprised. "So soon?" She paused as Hana nodded. "I suppose you have your reasons." She gave her sister a fond look as her eyes grew suspiciously moist. "Go to your male, dear Hana. Enjoy this evening with him, but before your joining tomorrow night, can you come and see me once more?"

Hana wondered about the strange request for a moment, but then her sister handed her the small package and her concerns were smothered beneath anticipation of seeing what was within the folded material. "Mother gave this to me before I joined with my mate." The elder sister covered Hana's hand with her own, and Hana looked up in time to see a tear slip from the corner of her eye. "Go now. I will see you tomorrow."

Hana smiled and fought back tears of her own as she hugged her sister tightly. The trip back to Ryuu seemed much longer than it should have been, and by the time she arrived, her stomach seemed to have twisted into knots. He watched her approach, seemingly content in giving her the time she needed.

"Did you learn what you needed to know?"

Hana found herself blushing once again and she bit her lip. "Yes, and no," she murmured. "I suppose we'll just have to see..."

He grinned and held a hand out to her. She placed hers within his grasp and allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace. She was content to stand in the warm circle of his arms for a long time, but then she pulled back and held up the wrapped object. "My sister gave me this."

He nodded and they sat together on the forest floor. The moonlight gave illumination to the small clearing as she untied the bundle and pulled apart the folded material. Inside, she found a soft white slip of material and some rare, exotic fruits she hadn't encountered for several years. "What are they for?" he asked, carefully touching the small dress with an outstretched finger.

Hana arched an eyebrow at his silly question and decided against giving him a direct answer. "I will show you tomorrow."

"Okay." She almost grinned at his response; it was clear that he hadn't connected the outfit with what would happen the next night, but then again, he hadn't been concerned with her modesty over the years. It was true that the two of them were closer than she could have ever imagined, but she had been raised in a much different way...

They spent most of the night sitting against a sloped rock as Hana told him stories of what she'd learned the last few years. When the moon had slid out of sight and she had grown too sleepy to continue speaking, she leaned against his side and snuggled in to get a comfortable spot to sleep. "I've wondered about this for some time," she yawned, stretching her arms and legs before curling into a more comfortable position. Her tail wrapped across her legs and came to rest along her hip, providing an extra measure of warmth in the cool night air.

"Oh?" he asked, a smile playing across his lips.

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and relaxed against him, content as he ran his fingers through the soft hair at the tip of her tail.

She woke the next morning to discover a few interesting details. First, he had relocated them into the shelter, and she found herself strewn across him along the comfortable stretch of moss that he'd covered with that special fire-proof material. Second, at some point she'd wrapped her arms, legs, and tail around him, trapping him as effectively as he'd trapped her by lying upon her tail and one of her arms. Third, he was wide awake and watching her in amusement.

"It was very different being next to you while you slept," he said. "Are you are that rough with your bedding at home, too?"

Hana's eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs as she gasped in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize I'd-"

He laughed and leaned over her, kissing her into silence. "Do not fret. I was teasing you."

"Oh."

He leaned on his elbow and traced his fingers along her face. "Today will be a very long day, I think."

"Why do you think that?" she asked, wondering how nice it would be to pull his face closer so that she could get another kiss.

She blushed as he stared down at her, and she marveled at how his eyes seemed to darken and glow all at once. "Waiting for something, I've discovered, makes time pass very slowly." It didn't take long for her to realize what he meant, but she didn't care too much about it as he dipped his head to capture her lips for a deep, lingering kiss.

He was right; the hours did pass very slowly. As afternoon finally began to dim, though, it was with some reluctance that she left his warm embrace to meet with her sister for one last time before night. "I'll be back soon," she said as she turned to dash into the trees, but his hand caught hers and he pulled her back.

"Come back sooner than that," he said. "We don't have to wait to _start_, we just have to wait to _finish_." Hana couldn't have turned any redder had she wanted to, so his words were met with a grin and another kiss. "In fact, do you even have to go?"

Hana paused to look thoughtfully into the trees. Maybe her sister had something important to tell her about the coming night? '_But if that were true_,' Hana reasoned with herself, '_then why didn't she say something when I'd asked about it in the first place?'_ Her mind was nearly made up to stay as he drew her in for another kiss, but she laughed and pulled away from him.

"It might be something important... I promise I'll be right back."

He nodded and sat down upon the rock, waving at her to hurry.

She expected to meet with her eldest sister outside of the home she shared with her human husband, but instead, she was met with a rather large gathering of her family. '_This is strange,'_ she wondered. '_There wasn't a large gathering before my sisters mated. Are they here to wish me good luck?'_

She stopped short at the grim looks on their faces. "What's going on?" she asked, the chill of dread creeping upon her. She quickly glanced around to make sure her closest family members were present. _'Good, everyone's here, so that means no one is hurt or in danger.'_

"Hana," her mother began, "There is something you must know." She stepped closer to her daughter, but Hana sensed something amiss and took a step back. "Now, I know this will be hard for you to understand, but it has come to our attention that you intend to..." she paused and looked at the eldest sister for confirmation. "You intend to mate with the son of the fire clan?"

Hana turned slightly and warily glanced at her family. "Yes."

"You cannot."

Her mother was so straightforward with her declaration that Hana almost didn't believe she'd heard it. "I... what?"

"You cannot mate with him, Hana. This choice of yours could be detrimental to our family's safety and even fatal for you."

Hana stared at her mother as though she'd grown an extra head.

Her father sighed and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Hananoki, there is a long history of violence between the fire clan and the others living upon this island. They control everything and can destroy anything at their whim. Twenty years ago, the actions of the fire clan resulted in the deaths of three hundred humans and over half of the water elementals."

Hana's gaze fell to one of her sister's husbands. His bright blue-green eyes and hair were dead giveaways that he was one of the remaining water elementals, and she could see the anger burning in his eyes at the reminder of the tragedy.

"But-" she began, but her father continued to speak.

"We didn't think that your friendship with the boy over the years would result in this, or we would have prevented your encounters with him. The fact that he has wooed you into this situation does not mean that he or his family won't use you against us, or that you won't get hurt in the middle of this feud."

"The _feud?!_" she said, her voice gaining a note of hysteria. "Am I to believe that some war is going on that I've never heard anything of?"

"This disagreement has been simmering for centuries, Hana. The fact that you and he are so close to joining can only mean that his family has found a way to break our resolve, and we do not want you to get into the middle of this, especially when we'd thought it might have been fading into history."

Hana could hardly believe her ears, or her family. "Ryuu wouldn't hurt me, he _loves_ me. We're supposed to-"

"Do not believe what that boy has told you. Hana, we're your family. We've raised you from birth; you see us every day. Believe that what we say is the truth. Would you think your own flesh and blood to deceive you?" Her mother stepped closer and placed a hand on her daughter's trembling shoulder. "There are dozens of his kind waiting upon that mountain. They wait for the day that they can run unhindered through our lands and destroy whatever they please. They taunt us with years of peace, and then in a matter of moments, they swoop in and lay waste to everything we've worked so hard for. You must understand. "

'_It cannot be true. This cannot be real! I need to get back to Ryuu..._' Hana stepped backwards, shaking her head. "I... I need to think about this."

There was a small movement at her side, and Hana felt a sharp strike against the base of her neck before everything went black.

-

She woke some time later to see the full moon hanging high in the sky and felt a curious rolling of nausea as she tried to sit up. The ground rocked from side to side and disorientation overwhelmed her as grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. '_Wooden...?'_

"They are fighting for you, now." Hana looked up at the somewhat familiar voice. Her sister's human male had two brown sticks in his hand, and she found herself sitting in a wooden container of sorts. _'A... boat?'_

"Who is fighting?" she asked as she sat up and looked around. Her unease grew as she noticed how far away the land was.

"Your family is fighting against the fire clan."

"_What?!_" she shouted, leaning forward to snatch the man up by his shirt. "What do you mean, they are _fighting?_" Hana felt a sudden surge of desperation as she looked toward the land.

"They- they said..." he stammered, clutching at her shaking fingers. She released him and perched on the edge of the boat, wondering how long it would take for her to swim back to shore. "They said they would come and retrieve you when it was safe. Your parents have sent word ahead so that you could stay with your cousin until the danger has passed."

'_My cousin? I...'_

"Sit down, girl."

Hana whirled at the unexpected second voice, one completely unfamiliar to her. A thin girl with dark blue skin sat silently at the edge of the boat, facing away from the other two. "You look like you want to swim to shore. That would be a bad idea. That land you see over there," she waved a hand at the mass of dark cliff faces that had seemed to grow larger on the horizon, "That land is where we are going. You can no longer see our island, for it has been shrouded in the mist."

She turned to give Hananoki a cold glare. "And if you were to return home, he would surely kill you."

"What?" Hana asked, feeling weak and sick to her stomach. "Who would?"

"Your boy would, of course."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared at the strange girl before her. "Why would... no." She denied, and shook her head with a sniff. "He would never hurt me. I must go back to him before it's too late."

"It is already too late. You have revealed his family's greatest weakness, and now our families can fight back against their fires. We will suffer from their work no longer." She turned back toward where the island supposedly lay, shrouded in mist. "He would surely kill you if you returned to him now."

"He would never-" she whispered, disbelief and despair overcoming her. She felt numb and sat down in the boat, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. '_He would never...'_ she repeated in her thoughts. '_He wouldn't...'_

-

**Author's Note** – _HOLY CRAP_, long chapter!

Okay, so this part is wa-a-ay overdue. Between homework and... Uh... [[video games IMPORTANT STUFF, I just couldn't find time to write! ;;

A few things must be said, and don't _be like me_ and skip over these notes:P When I last stopped writing my drafts, I was stuck at a point where I had to make a decision about upping my rating due to some content that will be added to certain chapters. I still have to make this decision! If I do add something naughty up ahead, those certain additions will only be added to sites allowing such content, so readers on FFN can remain happy that I don't progress past kissing. :P

I will continue to post a chapter rating along with reasons in the header of each chapter, so readers aren't surprised (um, if they even stop to look at those on occasion).

The end of this chapter might seem cut off, but it must remain this way for reasons I cannot yet say. The next chapter to be posted will shift back to Shippo. He's about to go on one helluva ride, but I'm not sure how long it'll take to piece it together, as some of it might _seem_ too much like boring filler. I really can't wait to get to the part where he d-

I mean, see you next time. ;D


	14. Seeking His Roots, 1

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**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

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Sequel to Shippo and the Magic Wand.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

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**Summary**: Shippo discovers that haste doesn't always give the fastest results, and friends can be found in strange places.

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**Chapter Rating**: PG for language.

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**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

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**Seeking His Roots – Part 1**

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_the past_

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I had plenty of time over the next several years to _thoroughly_ kick myself in the ass for not doing better research before traveling to this foreign land. Come on... Snowy land to the west? Across the water? I mean, the old bag _might_ have been right... but considering how massive the Asian continent is, I had definitely been a _tad_ hasty. But, like modern people sometimes say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Truthfully, though... had I never left Japan, I might not have learned so much about myself. I was on my own in a completely foreign setting. Staying at home with the comforts and familiarity of people I knew wouldn't have encouraged this sort of struggle for survival, and it might have taken decades longer to discover even the simplest of my abilities as an adult.

New scents and sounds assaulted my senses as I searched for a safe place to stay. I hunted and fished and slept under the stars as I familiarized myself with the countryside. For months, I stalked a handful of tiny fishing villages scattered across the narrow southeastern coastal plains. I picked up a little of the language, and while I understood that it might take some time to fully grasp the nuances of their language, I had a hard time holding onto my patience.

It is difficult to describe the level of frustration and anger I struggled with at that time.

To put things in perspective: Two years before, I had been permanently stuck in the body of a small kit. I cried, whined, played pranks and annoyed everyone in general for my own amusement. I almost always got everything I wanted, and I received unlimited attention and affection from the time-traveling miko, Kagome. I cared for her more than anything else in the world.

She _was_ my world.

And then, I changed everything. I'd found a magic wand and recklessly used it without knowing its true power. What I did to Kagome could have _killed_ her. She was probably the strongest miko to have lived since the time of Midoriko, and I cursed her with the magic of youkai. Her reiki and the foreign youki had clashed within her and caused dizziness and waves of nausea... True, we did manage to "fix" her Shippo-induced problem, but only by putting her life in another form of constant danger.

But... this strange turn in _her_ life led to _my_ unexpected (yet long-overdue) progression into adulthood. With my mother's disappearance some decades ago, my growth had come to a screeching halt. Not only did I remain stuck in the size of a small puffball kit, but my emotions and behavior could barely mature. I'm not sure how long I would have remained in that child-like state had I not "cursed" Kagome, but what was her bane became my blessing.

Most adolescents have the luxury of time and guidance to make their way into adulthood. Emotions, behavior, and self control develop in pieces through age and experience, and for me to make the leap from child to adult was a bit of a system shock. I had deeply ingrained childish behaviors, wants and needs that I had to juggle with my new shift in perspective.

I'd occasionally have a strong urge to toss myself on the ground and flail about in a temper tantrum. I still played my pranks and got into mischief for attention from my surrogate family. I had yet to gain firm control on my emotional outbursts, so it wasn't uncommon to see me struggling to disguise my reactions of fear, sadness, pain, and anger. (Of course, I was happy a lot, too, but with Kagome gone, it wasn't the really strong joy I had experienced before.)

I couldn't just start "acting my age." I had to understand and _embrace_ it.

Sometimes, –er, in my case, I should say ALL the time—something as simple as having a friend can mean the difference between _epic failure_ and success.

And so, at the onset of summer, nearly two months after I'd arrived on that rocky shore, I met my lucky break.

-

Summers can be awfully rainy in Korea (which is where Hachi had dropped me off), especially in the coastal regions, as I quickly discovered. (Have I mentioned I really can't stand the rain? Probably not. I'll get to that later.)

On that particular morning, the rain was much heavier than it had been for the last week, making it hard to see between the huge droplets and whipping winds. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, and I knew without a doubt that the fishing villages were about to have a _very_ rough day. On a long stretch of muddy, unfamiliar road, I chanced upon a somewhat horrifying (yet disturbingly welcome) scene.

At first glance, I thought it was an enamored couple, so in love (and lust) that even the horrible storm beating down upon them couldn't prevent their passionate embrace. The woman's long, dark hair and clothes hid her body from sight, and the man wore strange traveling robes that were nothing like the fishermen and other commoners I'd seen since my arrival. It was really strange to see such an open display back then, and I so made to take a detour through the woods to get around them and not disturb their moment. Just as I had turned, though, I noticed something felt... wrong. A stirring of malevolent energy made the tiny hairs on my arms and neck prickle with warning (which felt really awful combined with the drenching rain) and I took a few careful steps away from the strange couple.

I had assumed that I'd be able to find all sorts of supernatural creatures no matter where I'd travelled, but until that morning, I had not yet come across anything of note in that country. I didn't know if I'd find youkai or ghosts or _anything_, so I always kept up my guard and tried to be vigilant against anything that seemed suspicious or smelled funny. Holding to this careful consideration of potential threats, I _had_ to think that they were evil entities of some sort. I figured that, in a worse-case scenario, they might vanish at any moment and be upon me in an instant, so I had to ensure I stepped carefully away from the situation. I wasn't exactly sure how I _knew_ that there was something evil afoot, but it was such a strong sensation that I couldn't have brushed it off as anything other than what it _was._

So, there I was... creepy ghost couple necking on an empty, muddy road in the middle of a torrential downpour. I made my way carefully backwards for some time, unintentionally stepping in my fair share of ankle-deep puddles.

The man's stance relaxed and his knees apparently buckled, but the two held so tightly to one another that he didn't slip to the ground. His arms, though, eventually loosened and fell limp at his sides as they continued to kiss. When the woman effortlessly held up his body with an arm while supporting his head with her other, I paused in slight concern. I wasn't sure what was going on between the two, but I had the distinct feeling that the male was a lot less evil than the woman, and that _he_ was on the verge of death.

A moment later, he slumped backward across the woman's forearm as she tilted her bronzed face toward the sky, and the rain fell in heavy sheets to beat harshly upon the sharp features of her face. Her head angled in my direction and she opened her eyes to gaze at me. Her beautiful mouth curled into a grin bordering on evil, and then with no revealing movement, she vanished in the haze of the morning storm.

It was simply too strange to have been imagined, so as soon as I realized she had gone, I glanced around to ensure I was alone, then moved forward with care to examine the spot she had stood with that unfortunate man. With the heavy rains rapidly washing away the traces of her scent, all I could detect was the distinct smell of ripe bananas.

Only one object remained where they had stood, and the rain splashed heavily against the wooden surface. As I knelt to retrieve it from the mud, I noticed it was covered in etched writing that had slightly worn down over time. Before this moment, I had stumbled across only a few texts written in the local language, but these characters appeared far more complex than any I had seen before. I pocketed the little wooden slab and stood, looking around for any other sign of that scary female. She had effectively vanished with her prey, and I had the suspicion that she probably frequented this location.

But I did mention that it had been a somewhat _welcome_ sight, didn't I? I never would have guessed...

The storm gained strength throughout the day, and without shelter for the night, I could do nothing but find refuge in a tree.

-

When I was smaller, the rain only slightly annoyed me. My family would take shelter if the weather was particularly bad, but for the most part we would ignore it. After I met up with Inuyasha and Kagome, I discovered that humans didn't appreciate traveling in the rain constantly, so we didn't do that too often for the sake of their health and comfort. But as the rains grew in intensity after those first few months in the foreign lands, it quickly became apparent that my dislike for this particular type of weather had grown exponentially. (I've always thought that it had something to do with the nature of my element, but I'll get to that in a moment.) Now, I didn't learn much of this information until much later in my journeys abroad, but my father and mother's ancestors descended from legendary, magical creatures called the youko. A youko begins its life as a normal kitsune, but through some great deed or a strong will, it gains favor with Inari and is granted magic. Kitsune youkai, especially those that have descended from the youko, are skilled in energy transfers. The most common use of this transfer is between the youkai and his or her element.

The element of my father's family was the earth. They held firm control over soil, dirt, and rocks of all sorts. Where they lived and walked, ki could seep into the ground and enrich it with the strength to support life. Some considered his kind to be the gift of the land.

The element of my mother's family was directly related to flora, especially within the forests. The magic of her family could do many things with plant-life, but the most common use was directly related to making plants grow. I've never shown much of an ability to do such a thing, but as a child in frequent danger, I was able to make a trail of whining mushrooms so that I could be found.

A secondary, minor element that is common in kitsune is the element of illusion. It is stronger in some than others, an example of which can be seen in my parents. My father had great control over his illusory magics, but my mother never displayed any ability along those lines. I gained my kitsune-bi (foxfire) as part of those illusory magics prevalent in my father's line, but on that same note, I've never displayed any ability to enrich the land like most of my father's family could.

Now, you've got to remember that foxfire isn't mean to _burn_ things. It's supposed to _look_ like fire long enough to fool enemies so that the kitsune can flee, but it's also useful in creating spooky apparitions. But my foxfire evolved differently as I was pushed into sudden maturity. It was still essentially the same thing, but something in the energies composing it shifted so that it gained heat. That shift in energy actually began to collect in a liquid-like substance that dripped from beneath my claws in times of battle or during times that I suffered from extreme agitation. To this day, I believe that is was this same shift in my energy that resulted in my extreme dislike for rain. I'd never felt this way about the weather before, so it was the only thing that made sense. It didn't harm me, so there was no real drive to actively seek out shelter, but damn if it didn't make me terribly miserable and uncomfortable.

-

The rain was so heavy that night that I couldn't detect that banana scent as the mysterious female approached my perch. I quickly realized I wasn't alone, though, as those hairs stood up once more in alarm.

I spotted her a short distance away, looking up at me in open curiosity. She said something, but I had yet to pick up enough of the language to understand her. She must have sensed my confusion, for she tried again in what sounded like a different language.

She waited for the expected response, and when none came, she tried again. "You are from the islands of the east, then?" I had no idea what she'd asked the first two times, but I could definitely understand this, even with her thick accent. I nodded once in response.

"Come, there is shelter."

I stared at her in dumb shock as my mind tried to wrap around what she'd suggested. Hours earlier, I'd witnessed her kissing a hapless human _literally to death_, and she expected me to follow her willingly into what would most likely be a trap?!

She mistakenly took my continued silence as confusion and pointed to the southwest while beckoning for me to follow. "I have food and fire. Come! We rest and speak."

When I made no motion to follow her, she smirked and unexpectedly leapt to my branch. She moved with quick grace to catch hold of the front of my not-so-new shirt and kissed the tip of my nose before I could escape. Her banana scent wafted across my senses, along with the subtle, familiar smell I'd not noticed on the road earlier.

She was a kitsune.

I suppose when I came to that realization, all suspicion and instincts of self-preservation flew out the imaginary window. "Ah! What kind of kitsune are you? Where are you from? Have you met others? Where are they?" I shot off every question that came to mind, and in my excitement at finding another kitsune I completely forgot about the danger she might have posed.

Her hand clapped over my mouth as a crash of thunder sounded overhead. "We go inside, first! Rain gets worse quickly." She took my hand and stood easily upon the branch. A quick tug had me scrambling after her, and soon I was zipping through the water-logged forest at her heels. Her two tails, which had been hidden from sight earlier in the day, were as sopping wet as her hair, and each leaping bound she made caused them to flip about with such force that I was getting hailed with high velocity water droplets from the front and below as well as above with the storm.

Hurray for rain.

-

The entrance to the black kitsune's den was tucked carefully behind a large green bush, hidden from sight and protected from random curious animals by prickly branches. It had been carved without grace into a rocky hillside, but it provided adequate protection and shelter regardless of appearance.

She slipped inside with me close on her heels. I was wary of her because she was a potentially dangerous youkai, but I couldn't help the growing feeling of warmth and happiness blossoming in my chest. (I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fire she had lit seconds before...) I plopped down next to the flames and shrugged off my soaked shirt, shuddering once as the moist chill began to fade.

"You are so young!" She draped a fluffy length of fabric across my shoulders and patted my head as one would a child. "Why have you come, so far from home?" She sat down to my right and pulled her mane of black hair to the side in order to wring out a good amount of the water.

"I'm looking for my mother's family."

"Oh? Where's your mama? Did she tell you where to look?" She seemed genuinely concerned, and I didn't know if it was a ploy to get me to trust her... or if she really worried about such things.

"She couldn't tell me. She disappeared."

"Ah, such terrible news!" She sat up on her hands and knees to sit beside me. I began to think that telling her anything was a bad idea as she squashed me in an awkward, one-sided embrace. I was seriously too big for her to be cuddling me like a kit, but apparently she didn't think (or care) about our size difference.

The whole situation was odd, even more so after seeing what she'd done on the road earlier in the day. Maybe I could find out what she knew of my relatives, and then I could make a hasty retreat. In the rain.

Damn.

"Do you... know of any silver kitsune?"

She finally released me from her petting coddle, and her dark eyes widened in surprise. "Why seek them? They are bad luck, thieves and tricksters."

It's actually kind of strange, but she was right. Silver kitsune were bad omens in legends and folk tales, while black kitsune were a sign of good luck. But while she may have been right on that account, I had to call her out on what I'd seen her do...

"What about that human today? What happened to him?"

She grinned and tweaked my nose. "He was Seonbi," she said with a matter-of-fact tone, as though that should answer all of my questions and concerns. At my blank look, she tried to clarify the statement. "Seonbi... travel. They study, read... take gwageo exam..." she shook her head in apparent frustration and I realized the subject was probably a bit too complicated to translate. "He was not good man," she paused to tap her lip with a slender finger, "but he made good snack."

I jerked in surprise. "Snack?!"

"Yes."

"You _ate_ him?" I was a bit horrified. Of course, most youkai eat _meat_, but eating a human is something completely different. In my opinion, it borders on cannibalism, but there is another reason that most higher youkai can (and do) agree on. Humans _taste_ like what they are. (Truly good humans are rare...) some of the bad ones taste like burnt oil or rotten fruit, so I've heard. (On the same note, though, this is supposedly the same reason dragons like the taste of virgins.)

She looked just as horrified as I'd felt and shook her head vehemently. "Not eat... I took his energy."

"You..." I stopped to think about it for a moment. "Oh." I had no idea how she'd done it, but from my limited experience in the matter at that time, I knew it was something kitsune could do.

She moved over to a wooden box along the back wall, withdrew a clean kosode, and tossed it to me. The pants she found were strange, but after the weird clothes Kagome brought for me to wear, I couldn't feel too bothered about it.

Once I was dressed and mostly dry, I began to work on drying my hair and tail. She introduced herself as Hu, and told me that she'd lived in this country for a few years. She'd originally lived much farther to the west, but had taken to traveling in her youth and had yet to find someplace she really liked.

She said that she'd only personally met one silver, and that had been over a hundred years before. She knew of a few places that might have the answers I sought, so when morning came we set out.

Damned rain. It took us a month to locate the first place Hu had in mind. And wouldn't you know, the rainy season lasted at _least_ that long. To top it off, I didn't really trust her yet. She held no concern for the humans we encountered (beyond their potential for her "snacks"), and while she ate food on occasion when I hunted, I could tell that she didn't really care for that sort of nourishment. And, just as I couldn't understand her apparent need for a human's energy, she couldn't understand how I _didn't_ need it.

I wasn't sure if she would still eventually try and make a snack out of me, so yet again I had another _great_ month with very limited sleep. I had a bit of an advantage over an untimely death at her hands, though, because I could detect that creepy malevolent energy just before she got hungry, which was once a week or so. She'd slip off to find another human, and for about an hour or so after she came back I could still feel it, albeit diminished. I wanted to say something about it, but I didn't really know the exact circumstances surrounding what she was up to, _and_ every time she came back, she had new information that would guide us closer to our goal.

The damned rain hammered us as we made our way through the foothills, skirting the edges of paths and roads the humans frequented. Hu carefully picked her way through the mountain trails with me close on her heels, and _finally_, after a few days on the slopes, we'd left the heavy storm clouds below us. The vegetation became sparse with the lack of precipitation, and the air was brisk in the higher altitude. Even the warmth of the summer sun could do little to ward off the strange chill settling within my bones. A few days before we found the first location, Hu started giving me strange looks (I almost thought she was worried about me...).

When we finally reached that somewhat mysterious destination though, a flood of warmth shivered through my system at the beauteous sight before us. We had crested a rocky outcrop, and suddenly my senses were filled with the scents of life, of grass and highland flowers. Nestled between two mountain ridges was a small, lush valley; a crystal clear spring trickled its meandering path through the green grass. An ancient looking temple sat amidst it all, cut off from view of those outside the valley and sheltered from the elements. It seemed impossible that so much life could exist this far up the slopes...

Hu spoke, drawing my attention to her warm expression. "Haeinsa Temple. It houses many writings, and we might find mention of your kin."

Holy crap. The building was so massive, if it had not been devoid of color and decoration I might have thought it to be the Imperial Palace. How could anyone ever hope to fill those walls with that much information?!

I was fairly certain we would be searching this place for a long, _long_ time.

-

**Author's Notes –** I'm so sorry that it's been so long since my last update! Here's the deal, though. I don't want to ask for this, but if you even care about what happens next, tell me! My muse is under heavy fire from other artistic endeavors: 3ds Max is flanking from the right, and oil painting is closing in from the left! I need some supporting fire (reviews) to get me moving on this... Tell me if something is working or not. :) My biggest concern is this: I've combined two different fic types into one story. The adult! Shippo fic is one half, and the Kagome crossover with YYH is the other. Now personally, I don't read Shippo-centric fics, but I love YYH Xovers. People reading this story might have followed the line from the previous story, SatMW, while others might be here for the YYH-xover aspect. I just worry about a lot of stuff that I shouldn't whine about here. Anyways... Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Suggestions for improvement? Your patience is justified, I assure you! The next update can be expected in 24 hours, at the latest! Stumbling 4 was done yesterday, but I need to look over it once more before I stick it on the web, so look forward to some Kagome-fun. :)

Let's see, to avoid confusion... Hu actually means fox in Chinese, I think. :P Original, eh? :P We may never discuss Hu's element, but it doesn't matter since she just drains any human she wants. She's not a very nice youkai, but she wants to help Shippo... Shippo is currently traveling around in SE Korea. I'll probably toss another Author's Note with some Korean history at you after I get past Shippo's next section, since his story drags him through some crazy events that took place in the country around the same time frame as their adventures in the Sengoku Jidai. The term Seonbi refers to a type of scholar/politician from the time period. Before they tested into their position, they'd travel about the country. It's hard to explain exactly, but in short, they usually attained their high positions by being a descendent of another Seonbi, and most of them were (supposedly) corrupt and did as they pleased. They had to carry around these wooden blocks as a form of identification. I'm really HORRIBLE with history, though, so take everything I said as probably being wrong in some way or another, but artistic license lets me do as I please. Questions? Something I left too vague? Write me. TTYL!


	15. Stumbling Through Responsibility 4

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Go, Kagome, GO! :D

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG+. Violence. ;)

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note:** Oh wait, nothing to say right now. :) See end for any extra notes.

**-**

**Stumbling through Responsibility, Part 4**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

-

Kagome slept for a very short time in that tree before the chaos erupted around her. She jerked from her doze at the horrible eruption of disembodied hoots and chitters to discover a strange-looking lizard about to take a bite out of her leg. At that moment, several things happened at once: she managed to hold back her impulse to lash out with any miko energy in defense, she curled her limbs in closer to her body to gain distance from the lizard, and the Anshan retracted some of the vines that had held her aloft in order to strike the little beast dead. So sure, the sneaky youkai wouldn't be able to follow her... but then again, now she was _falling_ out of the tree.

A few vines snapped out to nearby branches and slowed her descent, but the landing was awkward and slightly painful as she tried to roll with the impact. The cacophony of noise around her instilled an immediate awareness of looming danger as she took off running; those little lizards had been set off by _something_, and she was not about to stick around to find out exactly _what_. Plus... too many of those loud little beasts wanted to snack on her --she could hear them as they crashed through the branches overhead and called back and forth at her heels. It was too risky to stay and let the vines fight her battle.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, hearing the hoots and shrieks from the little monsters behind her fade as they gave up the chase. She was out of breath and fighting back tears by the time she spotted the rickety bridge. '_Thank everything holy... I think I might be able to see them coming this way, and at least I won't have to battle towering oni on something like that!'_

Her relief was short-lived, though, as she placed her foot upon the first wooden plank. The wood creaked loudly beneath her toes and Kagome paused, holding her breath in anticipation of the flimsy material giving way. '_I can do this... it's just a bridge, probably been here for decades!'_ She laughed nervously and pressed more weight on the plank, temporarily satisfied when she did not immediately fall to her death. Five steps later, though, she found she wasn't so sure of herself as a board splintered diagonally to fall into the dense fog collected within the depths of the chasm. Her fingers gripped the hand-ropes tightly as she moved forward, testing the strength of each plank before resting her weight on it. She had to skip one here, and another there, and soon after she figured out how to safely place her weight by stepping closer to the connecting ropes.

She breathed a sigh of relief just after crossing the halfway mark, but then she realized that something felt strange. She took another few steps as she bit her lip, trying to put her finger on what exactly was wrong. Her hair was still the same length, her tail wasn't missing... her bow was still slung diagonally across her chest, and her quiver was within reach. Her backpack--

She froze mid-step.

_Her backpack!_ She twist around quickly to stare back across the chasm, a heavy sense of trepidation smothering her slight sense of accomplishment. '_I'll have to go back to get it..._' she clenched her fingers tightly around the ropes and bit back her frustration. '_Was there anything that I _really_ needed in there...?'_

The few wounds she had sustained so far could probably last until she got back... she'd just have to be really careful without her first aid kit. She swallowed the little bit of moisture that had collected in her mouth at the thought of the food and water she'd carefully packed. '_I guess I'll be a bit hungry for a while, too,_' she thought, trying to gain a bit of humor in a very serious situation. She had no idea what was edible in this realm, and she had yet to come across any liquid that didn't look or smell poisonous...

'_Crap.'_

Turning back toward the other side of the bridge, she sighed heavily and rubbed a hand across her face. She had to keep going... Her steps were careful and light, but her heart felt heavy and burdened with another heaping pile of unknowns. Mere feet from the end of the bridge, she noticed a misaligned portion of the rock face jutting out like a small shelf underneath the wooden planks. She took a careful look around at her surroundings to make sure nothing was close enough to see her, then dropped down off the edge of the bridge to swing her feet into the small alcove. The space was cramped, but had just enough room for her to curl up behind a supporting rock and get some much needed rest, hidden away from curious passersby.

She just hoped and prayed that no one would _need_ to traverse this particular bridge any time soon.

Kagome wasn't sure what time it was when she awoke, but the vine was insistent that she rouse quickly as it poked and prodded in various sensitive spots. She mumbled groggily as she sat up to rub her eyes, bumping her head lightly on the bridge above her. A glance at her watch confirmed that she'd had about an hour of sleep. '_This is __**so**__not fair.' _She rolled out of her hiding spot and poked her head above the edge of the bridge to glance around warily before scrambling onto the grass. She adjusted her bow and quiver and tucked a stray vine back around her neck as she crept forward into the woods once more.

She had walked quietly for maybe an hour before getting the strange sensation of being watched; Kagome slowed her pace and shivered as her skin prickled in waves of goosebumps. She wanted to call out the follower or threaten it with _something_ to make it go away, but as she gained the nerve to spin around and confront whatever it was, the feeling vanished. She turned back to her intended path and bit her lip, sighing in annoyance.

Her stomach growled noisily and she clutched it in mild embarrassment, regardless of there being no one around to hear the sound. She walked a few more steps before she realized what had instigated the physical reaction: there was a small bush of fragrant berries growing somewhat off the path to her right. She cocked her head curiously at the bright purple spheres and stepped closer to kneel in front of the plant, studying it closely. '_Well... the berries aren't green or any other strange, poisonous-looking color, but..._' She looked around the forest floor for any sign that something other than her had been by to take a nibble. '_It doesn't look like anything __**else**__ has been eating these, either.'_

She stood to walk away, but hesitated for a moment as her stomach growled again. '_Maybe I can try just one, and if it makes me sick, I'll know not to eat anymore._' Her mouth was already watering with the thought of biting into even one of the tempting little berries, so she carefully plucked one off the branch and squeezed it gently between her fingertips. It was plump and soft; the thin membrane split to release a drop of pink juice that dripped down her hand. She immediately stuck her tongue out to lick up the sweet juice and plopped down in the dirt to wait for any potential side-effects. Ten minutes passed in silence. Kagome chewed her lip nervously, twiddling her fingers as she watched the seconds tick by. Feeling as though her life wasn't going to immediately expire from uber-poison, she stood and jumped on one foot, tipped her body in different directions, and grabbed at single berries with an eye closed to check her equilibrium and depth perception.

Everything seemed alright and Death seemed to have ignored her for the night, so Kagome took a handful of the berries and savored them, one by one. She hadn't even thought about her water while trekking the violent woods, but her thirst had struck with a vengeance once she'd realized her backpack had been left behind. The small berries were a welcome source. After she finished the last of her handful, she picked another bunch of the small berries and slipped them into a loose pocket before getting back onto the path and continuing along her way.

Even in the gloom of early morning, Kagome could see that the forest had shifted from familiar dark browns and greens to a subdued palette of greys. Well... as familiar as a demon realm could _be_ to a previously-time-traveling miko. The sparse light reflected easily off the bark, giving the woods a surreal, ethereal glow. Odd orange ribbons, tattered and faded with age, hung from the twisted branches and stood out in stark contrast with the surroundings.

Kagome sighed and stretched as she walked along the strangely-cut road. The stone lining the walkway had melted in some places, and she frowned at the lingering scent of old ash and sulfur in the air.

It took little time for her to grow accustomed to the monochrome surroundings, and as such, she nearly missed the statue dangling from one of the trees just off the path. She paused for a moment to look over the carved figure of a woman; it had orange ribbons tied to various points, which really helped it blend in with the surrounding trees. _'How very strange..._'

The statue's hands and feet were perhaps the most eye-catching features, as they had elongated, bony digits that seemed particularly sharp; perfect to use as anchor points in the tree bark. Kagome withheld an uncomfortable shudder as she turned to continue on her path. _'I really need to stop sightseeing and just __**get there**__ already._' A branch creaked to her left and she snapped her gaze in that direction, warily checking out the mostly-dark treeline. The dimly glowing trees around her were very distracting, and it was hard for her to pick out any details more than a few feet within the forest. She quickened her pace somewhat, hoping that she might avoid _yet another_ encounter with something trying to eat her.

The path widened ahead. '_Oh great, another clearing. Which means..._'

Her thought trailed off in resignation, and sure enough, the moment she entered that clearing, a male youkai dropped into her path on the other side. "Ch, it's just a girl! Man, and here I thought we were going to have some tough fight on our hands!" He looked humanoid, if a bit young. His body was lean with a slight orange tint, just barely noticeable in the gloom. He seemed to be missing a few things as well: hair, shirt, shoes, and a weapon. Kagome felt as though she had encountered the Makai's answer to kung-fu.

"Appearances can be deceiving."

Kagome turned to look at the owner of the second voice, and was slightly surprised to see that it was the same "statue" that she'd seen hanging from the tree a short distance back, complete with the orange ribbons. Her clothes and hair (which were just as grey as her skin) looked stiff and stone-like, and Kagome had a feeling that neither would ruffle in a breeze. '_Why can't I sense her?'_

"Well, yeah... but look at her! She's _skinny-_ and the only weapon she's got is that stupid bow!"

"What do you mean, _stupid bow_?" Kagome clenched a fist around the wood at her side. "You don't even _have_ a weapon, and I'm pretty good with this-"

"Yeah, yeah. But it's still a stupid bow." He snapped several of his fingers in quick succession, producing a series of sparks. "'sides, it probably burns up like _that_..."

"Look, _Sparky,_ I really don't want any trouble..."

"Sure you do, lady. You've been causing trouble all over the Makai, and news travels fast. We know what you're here for, and we aim ta' stop ya'." He shifted to smirk at the ash-lady still standing behind Kagome. "Heh, did you hear that? She called me Sparky. What a load!"

Kagome rubbed the back of her neck in exasperation. "What do you think I'm here for, then?" _Maybe_ these hooligans-for-hire had some more knowledge of what had attacked the Goshinboku, and with as "chatty" as the youkai was, _**maybe**_ he'd start blurting out something that might help her.

The loud-mouthed male scoffed at her. "Lady, we don't need to tell you that-- you're here to die!"

"Eh?!" she exclaimed, not so surprised. '_So much for a little insight_.'

"Ah, did you hear that? I totally just thought of that," he beamed, snickering to his glaring companion.

"That didn't make any sense... you're here to stop me," she paused and smirked just a little, "...from _dying_?"

"Uh..."

The ash-haired woman scowled at her young partner. "Imbecile." She turned her attention to Kagome, who had slowly begun to edge around the pair. "Girl." Kagome paused, waiting with baited breath for some sort of '_Die!' _exclamation. "You will go home immediately."

Kagome tried hard to not feel disappointment, but after everything she'd been through in the last ten hours, the ash-lady's response felt rather anticlimactic. "Can't." Kagome smiled apologetically. "I've got somewhere I've really got to be, or I'll let down a very good friend."

The male grinned and rubbed his palms together in excited anticipation of a fight. "Well then!"

The vines reacted to the sudden spike of volatile energy from the young male, uncurling from her limbs quickly to circle her in a loose defense.

"Here we go..." she muttered.

He arced a loose fist in her direction, shooting a spray of sparks over the area. Kagome threw herself to the side, but the burning particles hissed as they came into contact with her vines and skin. '_Damn!' _ She took a risk and sprinted closer to him, hoping the vine would have something up its sleeve to take the fire youkai out of the picture. He was fast, though-- too fast for her to keep up with. He zipped around her and raked a burning claw across the main stems of the plant guarding her back, and she felt echoing waves of pain from the vine. Panicked and unfamiliar with her options, she snatched a still-closed flower from her shoulder and tossed it at him, hoping it would pop open and knock him out with sparkly glowing dust like the last flower had mere hours before. It smacked him right between the eyes and he stopped to give her a funny look.

"Did ya see that? We're mid-fight, and the silly flit threw a flower at me!" He laughed and stopped to pick up the large bud and tucked it into his pouch. "Girly, flowers aren't going to make me go easy on ya!"

He cupped his hands and pulled them back to his right hip; it was a motion that reminded Kagome of those characters that throw fire-balls in video games. '_Oh no_...' She threw herself out of the way just as the blazing ball of sparks shot past her and exploded against a nearby tree . '_Ugh! What the hell is his friend doing, just watching?'_

She stood nearby with thin, bony arms crossed over her chest, watching the scene with a critical eye. _'This isn't fair! I'm not skilled in this close-combat stuff!'_ She ran and dodged behind the trees to her right, knowing they would chase her down and _maybe_ the vine would be able to catch them unaware to make short work of them...

But she still had her bow!

Maybe she could use just a single arrow... just one. That male would be dust--but then that lady with him would probably want to fight, then, too. Kagome felt a sick feeling come to her stomach as she tried to figure out what to do. She didn't want to call the entire realm's attention to a possible miko running loose--

"Running, girly? I _knew_ you were a coward!" Kagome's forward motion came to an abrupt halt as he grabbed a handful of her hair and _yanked_. Her head snapped backwards from the force and her feet flew out from underneath her.

Kagome landed hard on her back; the force of the impact knocked the air from her lungs and she rolled over quickly, gasping for breath. "Look at that, you're so pathetic, even your little plant cringes from me."

"Bastard," she said, wheezing as she battled the breathless panic that had accompanied her fall, "it isn't cringing from you..."

He laughed derisively. "'Course it is! Look!" He waved a sparking hand next to the plant and it shrunk in close to her body, almost afraid of the heat emanating from the loud-mouthed youkai. "Aww, the little girly's out of options. Can't use her little vines; can't use her little bow..." He snickered and smirked over his shoulder at the silent woman who continued to stand with her arms crossed, watching the short battle unfold. "What are you going to do little girly, just lay there and die?"

"No!" Kagome shouted, swinging her hand out at the youkai that stood over her.

He leapt back out of her reach to avoid whatever attack she had up her sleeve and grinned derisively when she pulled her bow from her shoulder. "Don't you think I'm a little too close for that to be effective?"

"Not at all." She frowned at him and dropped into a low stance, hoping she'd be able to connect with her intended attack. '_If the vine won't risk his stupid fire, then this is my last option. I can't die here!'_

He smirked and ran directly at her, confident in his victory over the pitiful girl standing before him. She hadn't displayed any remarkable battle prowess, and it was nearly laughable to think that all it took to bring her down was a little bit of heat.

His clawed hands glowed bright with sparkling fire as he lunged for her throat, and at the last moment, something dark blurred before her and the clash of blade and claw could be heard throughout the clearing. Kagome immediately turned and fled, thankful for the distraction that had saved her life. She was caught off-guard by someone dropping directly into her path, and Kagome instinctively changed course just enough to miss a collision with him.

Instead, she ran right into a tree.

Kagome fell onto her butt, dazed. '_Owwww...'_ she rubbed her head while scrambling to her feet to make another dash for it. Someone caught her by the arm, and she twisted around to try and pry the fingers loose as she pressed backwards with her feet. "Let me go!" Somewhere in the corner of her mind she had to wonder why the hell those damnable vines hadn't leapt to her rescue yet.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

Kagome turned a confused expression up to the speaker and bit back her gasp of surprise. "I- they... I have to..."

"Whatever you're thinking, it won't be necessary. They were expecting a fight with just you, and our presence surprised them. They'll most likely regroup and return, but in the meantime, you can relax." She pulled her fingers free from the strong grip that held her and fell onto her rear again.

'_They're __**here**__! Crap, crap, crap, crap...'_ she scrambled backwards away from him, surprised that the vines didn't immediately leap out to kill him. A moment later, she was surprised to see he had been joined by the shortest member of the team; the team she had tried _so hard_ to avoid. She sat there and stared up at the two of them, trying to think of something to say.

"Um, thanks?"

The red-head held out his hand to help Kagome up, and she hesitantly took the offer. "I'll just be... on my way, then. I've got to be somewhere..." she muttered, moving to her right. The short one brought his hand up to the strap of a- "backpack! My backpack! Oh, I can't believe you found that! Thanks so much, I thought I was going to have to go hungry..." she reached out and practically snatched it off his shoulder to tear open a pouch and rummage for _anything_ edible.

"Woman-"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Meh?" Kagome asked, her mouth stuffed with granola. She swallowed quickly and turned to slip her backpack over her shoulder. "Um..." she looked around, hoping for an out. '_Can't you just, knock them out a little bit so I can get out of here?' _she silently pleaded with the vine.

"It won't."

"What?" Kagome asked, confused at the hybrid's statement.

"You have no control over that, do you?"

She shrank back from his intense stare and watched him suspiciously. "So... thanks. I'll just be going now-"

"No, there are questions to be answered. You have caused chaos in this territory-"

"Hey, those jerks attacked me first!" Kagome parked her fists on her hips and stamped her foot in annoyance. "I have every right to defend myself. I'm not traipsing around this horrible place for fun!"

-

**Author's Note – **Yes, it seems a bit cliffy-ish. At least, be content in the knowledge that the next several pages of that scene are already fleshed out, just not quite to the point that I can really put them in, and then there really isn't a good stopping point! I've got to catch the boys up to Kagome before we can start a good interrogation, anyways. OH, I forgot! I was supposed to post this damned thing _tomorrow_. Heh, anyways... Here's a fun bit of the story, and probably a part you guys have been waiting for ever since I mentioned it's a crossover. Or, I'm just deluding myself that people actually care about this really crappy story, when they could be out there reading all kinds of OTHER xover fics. (not. Where did all my favorite xover authors go? sniff)

Let's see, next update will be the last YYH-only section for a while, because that chapter will finish up at some point after Hiei and Kurama encounter Kagome. New chapters with this side of the story will be Kagome+YYH interaction within single chapters, because their storylines will have effectively joined. In about... three or four more Shippo chapters, his story and Kagome's/YYH's story will have finally met up, as well, and everything will be as it should. :) This story might be a long one, though... There's a lot left to happen. If I neglect updates, please yell at me. Throw things. If you must, then motivate me to write in the most evil way possible, but just don't unplug my 360. :P


	16. Tracking the Improbable 4

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** None of this makes any sense!

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** T for LANGUAGE. XD

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note:** A late portion of this chapter overlaps Stumbling 4 with certain bits of dialogue. I felt really awful copying and pasting what they're saying, but I've got to tell the story from the other side now! Next chapters won't have reason to do this.

**-**

**Tracking the Improbable, Part 4**

**-**

_the present_

**-**

-

"Finally! What took you two so long to get here?" Koenma paused only long enough for Yusuke to open his mouth in response before starting his brief. "A human with trace amounts of holy energy has gotten into the Makai. Kurama was dispatched almost twenty..." he glanced at his watch, "Twenty-two minutes ago. You need to rendezvous and attempt to bring this human safely back to the Reikai for memory clearing and minor tests so we can accurately verify and catalogue this instance of energy."

A portal appeared beside the pair as Koenma gave them the last of their instructions. "Kurama hasn't been there long, so it should be easy to catch up. This portal will take you to the location the human passed through. Contact Kurama upon your entry. We're still trying to reach Hiei, but this mission shouldn't take long."

Yusuke (uncharacteristically silent during Koenma's short brief) rolled his eyes and sighed before turning toward the glowing portal. A thought crossed his mind before entering, and he turned toward the demigod. "This doesn't have anything to do with that chick Kurama said had been kidnapped, does it?"

Koenma gave the detective a strange look. "I've had no reports of human kidnapping come across my desk today, Yusuke."

Yusuke shrugged. If Kurama had been pulled from his self-proclaimed rescue attempt to hunt down another hapless human, he doubted the kitsune would be in the best of moods. "Let's get this over with," he muttered, and the two stepped through the temporary portal into the Makai.

The two found themselves in the middle of a silent wooded area with no evidence of Kurama or the human's presence. "Damnit, the stupid toddler didn't even bother to tell us whether we're looking for a girl or a guy."

"A girl was kidnapped? When did this happen?" Kuwabara stretched his shoulders before looking to Yusuke.

"Some girl was eating at Keiko's just before I got there, and just after she left, Kurama came in apparently looking for her. We followed her trail to the park and any trace of her vanished. Kurama seemed concerned that she'd been kidnapped." He paused and made a strange face as the thoughts matched up. "Come to think of it, that timing is awfully coincidental to when our communicators went off."

"But the Reikai didn't say anything about the human being kidnapped, so maybe Kurama was... wrong?" For Kuwabara to even suggest Kurama might be wrong about something was laughable, but Yusuke couldn't argue with the strangeness about the situation.

"Well, we'll never figure out what's going on if we stand here and talk about it all day." Yusuke pulled his communicator out of a pocket and contacted Kurama.

The redhead's face appeared briefly in the small monitor before the angle changed and bounced slightly. Kurama had apparently placed the device on his knee as his attention focused on something nearby. "Yes?"

Yusuke got right to the point, "Where are we meeting?"

"Meet?" The kitsune avatar brought his attention to the communicator for a moment and must have noticed where the pair of humans stood. "Head west until you find the spider carcass, then travel northeast."

"Right. How far ahead are you?"

"Not far. This mission isn't as simple as Koenma may have described."

The two stopped at the mentioned spider, and both were quick to notice the clean cuts that had severed the monstrous youkai's jointed legs. "This human isn't toting around a sword, is he?"

"The human is a she, and Hiei killed the spider earlier. Skirt around any corpses ahead, as they will have likely drawn the attention of crowds you don't need to bother with." His attention went back to whatever he was working on.

Kuwabara pressed his face close to Yusuke's to see into the communicator screen. "Have you seen the shrimp, then? Koenma couldn't reach him." Yusuke roughly elbowed his partner in his ribs to get some space between them.

"Not yet. Hiei has probably taken his leave within Mukuro's fortress if the Reikai hasn't already retrieved him. You should _NOT_ approach this girl before we meet up. She might have picked up a weapon of sorts that can quickly prove lethal to any of us."

"But Koenma said she only showed trace amounts of holy energy. That couldn't be-"

"True, but whatever the Reikai might have detected isn't the real danger I'm talking about. Just avoid the corpses she's left in her wake and work your way in this direction. If I find a familiar landmark I'll contact you, but her trail is fairly obvious."

_Corpses left in her wake?_ Yusuke didn't bother to hide his near-skeptic grin. "But why are we avoiding -"

"If you find one, you'll see why. Make haste; I am not waiting for you two to catch up." The communication abruptly disconnected and the two detectives shared a look.

Kuwabara knelt to double-knot his left shoelace and grinned over at Yusuke, "Guess we're running, then."

Yusuke grumbled in annoyance before leaving his tall friend behind.

"Wait up, man!" Kuwabara nearly tripped over his hands in his haste to stand and catch up.

-

_'Youko, I understand you know your herbs, and are skilled in concocting antidotes and remedies for many different situations, but...' _Kurama grimaced as he squashed a handful of slimy newts' eyes over a small bowl. _'Tell me again why it has to be _eyes_?'_

~They contain a unique enzyme that helps prevent paralysis, and we don't have the time to dry and powder them in the common fashion.~

_'Common. Right.'_

The communicator trilled softly at his side as he cleaned his hand on a scrap of cloth. It was opened with a deft flick of his fingers and settled upon his knee before he turned his attention toward stripping apart a selection of fibrous plants. "Yes?" he asked briefly. He pinched several budded seed pods between his fingertips, breaking the thin membrane which released a sticky, bitter-smelling liquid.

When the detective mentioned that they meet, he squashed the stir of annoyance and gave a measure of his attention to the conversation with the detectives. There was no way he'd backtrack that far to collect the latecomers, so he gave them decent directions to speed their rendezvous and decrease their chances for violent (and wholly unnecessary) encounters with the frenzied low-level youkai along the path.

With a final set of warnings about the impending danger surrounding their quarry, he snapped the communicator shut and picked up where he'd left off. He pressed the sticky liquid from the crushed seed pods into the torn herbs and crushed eyes, mashing the ingredients into a lumpy, greenish-grey paste.

_'That was, perhaps, one of the more disgusting salves we've put together.'_

Youko chuckled darkly in Kurama's thoughts. ~I've made worse, and besides, it's not a salve.~

Kurama swallowed in apprehension and refrained from asking for further details as he scooped the grainy goop into several mid-sized leaves and folded each into small green packets.

~Let's get going. There's no telling what kind of troubles lay ahead of us.~

-

A plastic bag containing what appeared to be a change of clothes fell to the dirt below, but Hiei ignored it in his haphazard search for answers. A side pocket drew his attention; he opened it and found a toothbrush along with other... _things_... human females required. The pocket was hastily sealed as his fingers found another zipper.** *Useless junk.*** A moment later, Hiei paused with his hand still buried in the girl's backpack. ***Fox.***

_'Fancy meeting you. I don't suppose you're here on business?'_

***Maybe I'm just bored.* **He extracted a small bag of dried food from the backpack, turned it over in brief examination, then stuffed it back into place before fishing around some more. He glanced down at Kurama. ***...And you?***

_'Maybe I'm just curious,'_ he replied nonchalantly.

Kurama leapt and landed silently upon a branch near Hiei's location. ~And such a curiosity this eve...~ Youko murmured, glancing at the objects scattered on Hiei's lap. He watched in thinly veiled amusement as the dark youkai continued to extract and examine various objects that very clearly belonged to a human female. The scent he'd tracked from the intersection in the Ningenkai was strong in this area. Kurama had the distinct impression that the girl had lingered nearby for some time.

***Please tell me you aren't here to chase some tail.* **

Kurama's lips twitched as he withheld his smile. _'Now, why would you think such a thing?'_

***Why else would you be following a girl in the Makai?***

He shrugged with feigned indifference._ 'Youko came across something impossible and inexplicable, and his curiosity has rubbed off on me.'_

***Like a kitsune with tentacles?***

Kurama -and Youko- did a double take before meeting Hiei's level gaze with one of confusion. _'A what?'_

Hiei smirked and shrugged lightly, turning his gaze back to the pack in his hands. ***Never mind.***

Kurama narrowed his eyes in slight suspicion as the hybrid pulled a beaten-up first aid kit from a side pocket of the pack._ 'Where did you find that, anyways?'_

***Right there.* **He motioned with a slight nod of his head to indicate the area next to him in the trees. Kurama frowned. Why had the girl's belongings been left up in a tree? Surely she would not have left it behind in such a strange location, and if Hiei had knowledge of a human running around in the demon realm, then _surely _he wouldn't just sit there and waste his time being nosey. He wasn't like that.

_'You didn't happen to see where the owner went, did you?'_

***She ran that way.*** He absently waved a hand north as he unwrapped a small chocolate bar he'd just found. ***Some orloes chased her off, and she left this behind.***

Kurama nearly lost his balance on the limb as Youko practically bristled with outrage. ~You allowed a human girl to be chased off by a pack of orlo youkai so that you could paw through her backpack?!~

Hiei glared at him. ***That girl was not human. With as much damage as she's caused this evening, surely she could handle a few orloes.***

_'What do you mean, not human? I started tracking her in the Ningenkai. Keiko and Yusuke both saw her and didn't mention anything out of the ordinary.'_

***She was in the human realm? Does Koenma know of her presence there?***

_'Of her presence there? What about her presence here? Of course he knows; he sent me to bring her _back_.' _Kurama had the strong impression that he and Hiei each held half of a very confusing puzzle, and none of the pieces wanted to fit together to form the whole. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration before deciding to continue his pursuit without the hybrid.

He turned and hopped down from his branch, but didn't make two steps before Hiei appeared before him, the backpack slung easily over his shoulder. ***Wait.* **His eyes lost focus as he used the Jagan to locate the void of energy. ***She has already crossed the bridge to the north. We can save time if we take the southern crossing, and she'll be less likely to spot us if we approach her position from the woods rather than a rickety old bridge.***

Kurama nodded in agreement, and the two slipped silently into the dim forest.

It wasn't long before they crossed a sturdy, well-traveled bridge spanning one of the narrowest sections of the chasm. ***She's stationary again. When I found her earlier, I think she might have been resting before the orloes attacked.***

~Is that a bite I see?~

***It's healing.***

_'If she has traveled this far in such a short time, she's bound to be worn out.' _

Hiei leveled a serious look at his partner's concerned expression. ***You seemed to be under the impression that this girl is human, yet you didn't seem surprised when I told you about this girl causing damage here. Is there something I should be aware of?***

_'Here, keep this.' _Kurama tossed one of the small leaf pouches to his partner, who snatched it easily out of the air.

***What is it?***

_'Preventative measure.'_

***Alright, fox. Spill it.***

_'As I said before, we found her in the Ningenkai. I was out running an errand for Mother when Youko recognized the scent of the plant-'_

***A plant?* **Hiei had seen many strange things within the demon realm, but it was far too coincidental for Kurama to have tracked a plant from the Ningenkai all the way to this point, where he himself had just seen an odd youkai/blue plant flee for safety. Those odd blue vines might be what Kurama had ended up tracking, but what had happened to this human, if she'd even been human to begin with? He turned his thoughts to what little he'd caught of the girl's appearance and was quite certain that she _had _to be a youkai of some sort.

~Yes. I am quite certain that this species has been extinct for some time.~ Youko related the short story of how his search had crossed Yusuke's path before Koenma pulled him in for his current "mission." ~Had the idiotic bastard not interrupted my progress at that time, she might not have gotten so far ahead of me.~

_'Hiei...'_ Kurama seemed almost hesitant before continuing, _'you mentioned a 'kitsune with tentacles' earlier. Does that have something to do with this girl?'_

Hiei shrugged and stopped at an open patch of dirt to remove the backpack from his shoulder. ***What does this human look like?***

Kurama gave the hybrid an odd glance. _ 'Surely you caught a glimpse of her as she fled from the area?'_

***Humor me.***

Kurama sighed and ran a hand through his red locks in a rare show of impatience. _'Dark hair, grey shirt, backpack, and unmistakable blue vines that-'_ Kurama trailed off as Hiei carelessly upended the contents of the pack across the bare ground.

***Maybe you can make sense of this mess she was carrying around.* **

~Excellent.~ Kurama knelt to sift his fingers through the various articles strewn about, then took the nearly empty pack from Hiei.

The kitsune reached for a zipper before Hiei stopped him, ***Girl stuff. Don't bother with that one.***

Another pocket revealed an empty to-go box that Hiei hadn't gotten a chance to find earlier. Both males stared at it for a moment, but the simple label of 'Yukimura Noodles' spoke volumes of where this girl had recently been. The last unopened pocket contained a single piece of jewelry, which was out of place for a backpack seemingly stocked with supplies the girl might have needed for a camping excursion. Hiei gave him a dry look. ***It **_**is **_**a girl you're tracking.* **

Kurama pulled the thin band of silver from the pocket and examined it carefully. ~The details on this are too exact to have been crafted using normal human methods.~ Youko's extensive past experience in thievery and valuables helped him to identify the lingering trace of kitsune magic that had crafted the piece, but it was just faint enough that the age of the silvery band...

***She's moving again.* **Hiei's thoughts interrupted Kurama's examination, and he slipped the bracelet into his shirt before stooping to assist the hybrid in replacing the strewn-about items.

_'Damn, I forgot about Yusuke and Kuwabara.' _Kurama snapped open his communicator and relayed their current location between the two bridges spanning the Great Ravine.

***Those idiots are coming, too?*** Hiei glowered as he jerked the worn straps into place.

~This mission has Koenma all hot and bothered because she set off that device.~

***Which one?***

_'Supposedly measures holy energy. She showed trace levels, but it was enough to activate a sensor that set everyone on duty in the Reikai into frenzy when she entered this realm.'_

***Holy energy... hard to believe this is all connected.* **Hiei slowed and motioned ahead of them to the right. ***She is making slow progress along the road beyond those trees.***

Kurama swiftly and stealthily took up residence in the branches of a tree near the road, followed shortly by his partner. The sight that met Kurama's eyes bore little resemblance to the blurred image of the dark-haired girl as she had appeared prior to her crossing into the Makai's borders. ~A vixen...~ Youko seemed pleasantly surprised as they laid eyes on their quarry. ~Her coloring is familiar, similar to that of my extended family.~

***Family? I thought that as a youko, you would not have had a family.***

Kurama glanced away from the strange girl to meet his partner's gaze. ~While that is normally the case, my childhood was a bit more complex than that. I attained my youko status while I was still quite young, and was adopted by an older silver male who had mated with a red... But that is another story. This _must _be the same girl we saw on the Reikai video feed. She is wearing the same clothes, and you found her backpack. It must be an illusion to ward off youkai. The lower leveled ones would certainly flock if word spread about a female human hiking alone through the Makai.~

***If she is using an illusion, it must be very powerful and well-concealed. I cannot detect one, nor can I gain access to her thoughts.***

The girl slowed, then paused and glanced around at the woods. The two froze in the branches as her gaze swept the trees nearby, but she soon continued on the path as though she hadn't found anything of interest.

_'She must know we are here.'_

~No, I think she may have noticed Hiei's attempt to probe her mind as something amiss, but I doubt she can sense our presence.~

***You still think you're chasing after a human, Fox?***

~A youkai couldn't possibly carry around one of those vines and survive for this long.~

Hiei gave the kitsune a hard stare from the corner of his eye before daring to suggest the thought on his mind. ***Perhaps the plant in her possession isn't what you thought.***

Kurama stiffened suddenly as Youko bristled with outrage. ~You dare question my knowledge of -~

***You arrogant bastard, look at her! She's killed scores of youkai along her path and caused confusion and mayhem amongst the damned denizens of this territory, and you still think she's some helpless human?***

Kurama took a steadying breath before speaking. _'I believe Youko is right in his identification of the plant, but from what I've learned, it seems impossible that any creature could survive what we're seeing. We must also keep in mind that Koenma sent us -'_

***Sent **_**you**_**.***

_'Sent me to retrieve the girl with holy energy. Whoever heard of a youkai with holy energy?'_

***Maybe she has a trinket or spell as a safeguard and it triggered the sensor.***

~Perhaps.~ Youko sounded thoughtful and much calmer as his avatar stroked a finger along the 'borrowed' bracelet. While he had no intention of keeping it, it did warrant a closer examination when he could find the time. But for the moment... a distant memory teased his thoughts, of his strange cousin and their search to find an old mirror.

Hiei sidled a glance at his partner as the kitsune slowed his pace. ***What's on your mind?***

~Old memories.~

***And this?*** Hiei held up the small leaf-packet Kurama had tossed him.

~Ah, that is most necessary if we are to approach the girl safely. That vine can be remarkably dangerous in a number of ways, so we must be sure to take this, but _only_ if it looks as though imminent contact will occur.~ Kurama fingered his packet thoughtfully. ~This stuff can have certain negative side effects that we should try to avoid.~

***Such as...?***

~The vine's poison can cause clots in the victim's blood, leading to heart failure, stroke, or death, and so one of the ingredients acts as an anticoagulant to prevent clotting. The effect lasts a bit longer than an hour, so we must be mindful to avoid any serious injuries, as blood loss would be substantial.~

***You said side **_**effects**_**, as in more than one.* **Hiei turned his gaze toward the strange girl ahead of them as Kurama fingered the girl's bracelet in silent contemplation.

~The others are inconsequential.~

***Hn.* ** Hiei narrowed his eyes at the girl as she moved off of the path to the right. ** *So you think she's using an illusion to disguise herself?***

~It must be an illusion; no kitsune strong enough to take a humanoid shape like that would only have one tail. An accurate form requires at least two...~

***If it's truly an illusion, then what she's about to do will almost undoubtedly kill her.***

Kurama jerked his attention back toward the girl in time to see her pop a small berry into her mouth. Hiei barely grasped his arm in time to prevent him from running to her aid. The kitsune turned blazing eyes toward his partner and hissed in rage, "What have you done?! Only a human would be so ignorant as to eat those; we could have stopped her!" The berries of the blood shrub were rumored to be as sweet and tempting as the most succulent fruits in any of the three realms, but the skin of each berry held a terrible poison that could leave a youkai in a helpless stupor, easy pickings for wandering scavengers. As scavengers devoured the defenseless victim, the blood that spilled would nourish the shrub. The poison loses toxicity shortly after ingestion, but once damage was done, an afflicted youkai could need several days to fully recover.

And as Hiei had just mentioned, the poison from one of those berries would outright kill a human. Kurama held his breath and watched in sick fascination as the girl consumed them, one by one. ~Well, if she dies... at least we'll still have the vine to play with.~ Kurama scowled at the thought but did not respond otherwise as the girl made some strange motions. _Hallucinations before death...? _Kurama stared in morbid fascination as she stood to hop around on one foot.

***If that vine is as dangerous as you have said, then she is not long for this world anyways.***

The girl picked another few handfuls and stuffed them in a pocket before continuing along the path - apparently in perfect health. ~Unbelievable. Perhaps she has some rare immunity...?~

They followed in silence as she walked along the path, apparently engrossed in her surroundings. The forest began to lighten as morning approached, and Hiei slowed to scan the branches ahead. Kurama had sensed it as well: two moderately strong beings had taken up position somewhere ahead. The trees whispered their secrets to the kitsune, and he frowned at the deadly fire licking at his thoughts. Both Hiei and Kurama saw the woman first. Her position in a tree just off the girl's path was exposed, but her entire appearance allowed her to blend into the ashen surroundings as though she belonged there. The vine-toting girl ahead apparently noticed and then completely disregarded her presence with nothing more than a curious glance.

Hiei visibly scowled at the girl's apparent lack of self-preservation. ***We're going to end up bringing this girl back to the Reikai in pieces.***

~It is wise, my friend, to wait and see what she's capable of before we attempt anything rash.~

Hiei made no further comment as the two watched the female youkai leap from her branch to follow the girl into a clearing, where another youkai had made his appearance.

_'This is going to be trouble.'_

Hiei examined the two youkai for a moment. ** *I've heard of these two. She is a seasoned fighter, while he is still young and somewhat inexperienced. They are a mercenary pair of fire youkai that lend allegiance to individuals with motives similar to their own.***

_'A mated pair?'_

***Likely. They work in tandem, but I cannot see why one such as she would tolerate his behavior unless they were fucking.***

Youko smirked at Hiei's assessment of the young fire youkai. The ensuing fight unfolded quickly after that, and Hiei was somewhat disappointed to see a complete lack of anything interesting, which came as a surprise after he'd sensed the carnage left in her wake.

She apparently possessed no close combat skills or abilities, and as it became obvious that the fight would end in the younger male's favor, the two decided to step in. ~Swallow that packet before you approach her,~ Youko reminded his partner as Kurama tossed the small pouch into his mouth. Hiei nodded just before intercepting the deadly blow. The fight was over quickly, for as soon as Hiei made his presence known, the silent female sprayed a cloud of ash into the clearing to mask their quick departure.

Kurama leapt ahead and dropped into the path of the now-retreating girl. She was so intent on her escape that she barely missed running into him only to collide with a tree nearby. As she attempted to flee again, he reached out and caught hold of her arm to prevent her escape. She immediately tried to stand and pry her fingers from his grasp with a few words of panic, but his grip was strong and his attention unwavering. He smiled down at her before speaking quietly. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

She finally looked at him with clarity in her gaze, and the way her eyes widened in disbelief quickly led him to believe that she recognized him. Her attempts to pry his fingers loose became feeble with her surprise, and she stammered a few incomplete phrases that sounded like attempts at excuses.

"Whatever you're thinking, it won't be necessary. They were expecting a fight with just you, and our presence surprised them. They'll most likely regroup and return, but in the meantime, you can relax." He eased his hold on her as she slowed her struggle, but then she unexpectedly jerked her arm free from his grip and fell back into the dirt.

The girl was still scrambling backwards when Hiei arrived a moment later. ***They've completely fled the area, but I do not doubt they'll return.* **

The two looked down at the girl, who looked every bit like a cornered rabbit. Kurama watched with veiled suspicion as she glanced apprehensively between them. _'Is it just me, or does it seem like she knows who we are?'_

***Hn. We **_**are**_** rather notorious.***

'_But not to humans...'_ This certainly didn't support his theory of her being a human in disguise...

The girl licked her lips nervously before speaking. "Um, thanks?" Kurama held out a hand to help her to her feet, and she hesitantly accepted his help as he perused her condition. Her journey through the Makai had definitely been unpleasant for her. He noted her slim body had been marred with a few recent wounds. Her clothes were torn and caked with various types of mud and grime, and her dirty face was streaked with the dried evidence of shed tears.

~Lovely.~

_'And in need of a bath.'_

~Yes.~ Youko laughed. The kitsune avatar drank in her appearance with languor. ~And we can accommodate that need alongside our own need for some playtime.~

_'She doesn't look like she's in the condition to play, let alone trust us enough for that.'_

He wasn't paying attention to the words flying nervously between her pink lips, so he felt somewhat caught off guard as she unexpectedly snatched the worn backpack from Hiei's shoulder to rummage through its contents. She was apparently very hungry...

"Woman-" Hiei growled out.

Seeing a potential conversational catastrophe, Kurama quickly leapt in with a gentle inquiry. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

The girl seemed surprised as she responded around a mouthful of food. She swallowed in haste and cast her eyes about in an obvious show of looking for an escape. "Um..." Her glance fell momentarily to the thin vines of blue hovering at her sides. They looked decidedly limp, and her pleading expression did not go unnoticed by either male.

Hiei glared angrily at the girl. "It won't."

"What?" She stared at the hybrid in confusion.

_'You can't read into her thoughts _now_, can you?'_

***No, but it's quite clear what she wants, and I'm sure you know enough about plants to see that if she had direct control over that vine, it would have attacked us by now.***

Voicing his thoughts aloud, Hiei stepped closer. "You have no control over that, do you?"

She immediately shrank away from him and attempted to talk her way out of their presence. "So... thanks. I'll just be going now-"

Hiei's irritation was a nearly tangible thing. "No, there are questions to be answered. You have caused chaos in this territory-"

"Hey, those jerks attacked me first!" The girl took up an outraged stance and stomped a small foot into the dirt. "I have every right to defend myself. I'm not traipsing around this horrible place for fun!"

~Oh, she's fiery,~ Youko chuckled. The red-haired avatar's eyes softened as he looked her over more carefully. "You are injured." It was a statement, not a question, and she looked down at herself in confusion. Her right side had been soaked in blood from a previously unnoticed gash on her shoulder.

"Oh..." she muttered, staring at the wound in concern. "Is there a source of clean water anywhere nearby? I need to clean and dress this."

"No." Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. "That wound is hardly serious." Hiei glanced at his partner in veiled disbelief. ***She even smells like a kitsune. I've never seen an illusion that can fake scent like this.* **

The girl scowled at him and pulled her pack around to her front, wincing as she knelt. "Are you alright?" Kurama asked in concern. She bore no evidence of other serious external injuries, but _internal _injuries could prove to be potentially fatal if not treated immediately.

"I think it's just bruised ribs. I'll be okay," she muttered, withdrawing a bottle of water and bandages. She pulled her sleeve aside and took a careful moment to rinse the wound of blood before applying some antibiotic salve. When she attempted to tie on a bandage with only her left hand, Kurama knelt and brushed her fumbling fingers away from the effort and easily wrapped the injury. "Thanks," she mumbled, putting away her supplies. They watched as she carefully stood and shouldered her backpack with a sigh of resignation. "Okay, so what do you want?"

-

**Author's Notes** - Okay, that's a bit of a cliffy... No worries! From here on out, I've got to cover the portions with Kagome and the boys from a close third-person POV. In this chapter, it didn't seem quite right to have direct insight as to what she was thinking, but in the very next moments I kind of need to be able to write from both sides, so I left it at this point, to be picked up again with a new chapter series title after the next Shippo chapter.

Anyways, I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I last posted anything!! Between school and Hurricane Ike kicking us out of our apartment in Galveston, I've been a bit swamped. Er, let's not think about the dozens upon dozens of hours I've wasted enjoyed reading fanfics and playing 360. I'm really awful to you guys...

Diane, aka Ponygirl, emailed me a while back (uh, last October. ouch.) to ask about my fic and where I'd disappeared to, and I responded to her email with a not-yet-complete version of this chapter. (Thanks Diane for those spots you noticed!) I was waiting until I'd made a few revisions and worked out a very important part of Shippo's plot before I really buckled down to finish this. I think everything's going to work out as planned, but we'll have to see... =_=


	17. Seeking His Roots, 2

**-**

**The Blue Anshan**

**By Alesyira**

**-**

Sequel to _Shippo and the Magic Wand_.

Canon Universe, Continuation, Crossover.

(Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Angst _...maaaybe hentai._)

**-**

**Summary:** Another waste of time? So many secrets tiptoeing just out of reach...

**-**

**Chapter Rating:** PG. Nothing really big here...

**-**

**Disclaimer: **Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction, although I would appreciate if other people respected my work as being my own... Please no reposts or anything silly. :)

**-**

**Author's Note:** Yep, nothing to say here...

**-**

**Seeking His Roots – Part 2**

**-**

_the past_

**-**

-

The field grass tickled my bare feet and I glanced at my clothes in a moment of self awareness. My tattered pants and shirt served merely as an instrument of modesty and had no purpose beyond that. Looking back at it now, I feel somewhat amused that I cared so little for my appearance that I traipsed across the mainland for years dressed little better than a wandering beggar. (At least I had the sense to keep myself _clean_.)

My sharp gaze easily picked out a handful of individuals within or near the large complex, and all appeared to have clothed themselves in simple gray robes. Now, based on my limited experience with humans during our travels as well as Miroku's occasional stories, it seemed logical that we would be welcome no matter what we wore... But I felt that our presence would be more easily accepted if we looked like we had come to find knowledge rather than a free meal and a place to rest.

I closed my eyes and touched a finger to my brow in a moment of concentration, calling forth a small amount of youki for a simple change in my appearance. The illusion adjusted my clothes from "wandering beggar" to "middle class", with attention to an appropriate fit and quality of cloth, dyed with simple earth tones. My hair darkened as well as I pushed my illusion to hide the attributes that set me apart from humans. I turned back to see if Hu had done the same - well, to at least hide her tail and ears (I wasn't sure at that time if she had any ability to change her appearance) - only to see she had stopped a short distance back. I opened my mouth to call out her name, but she waved me on with a shake of her head.

"I wait here for you," she said, turning her gaze toward the sun overhead. An unexpected shiver of apprehension zipped through me and I hesitated. For one thing, I didn't know a damned thing about the people inside this temple; they might have been scholars with only a care for their archives, or they might have been some crazy-suicidal-extreme holy men trained in the art of **doom** (who just _happen _to like guarding old books). In the short time I'd known her, Hu had never displayed any real care or tolerance toward humans, so either way, splitting up (or I should say... 'leaving her alone') seemed like an awfully bad idea.

One of two outcomes seemed inevitable: either she'd kill one of the inhabitants for her occasional "energy snack" and I'd get kicked out of the archives... Or she'd bite off more than she could chew and I'd be short my guide (and in danger as well). I ran my fingers through my bangs and watched her carefully. "You... aren't going to, um..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice my thought and hoping she'd get my gist.

She seemed somewhat distracted by the cloudless sky, but her gaze soon met my own and she flicked her clawed fingertips in my direction. "No, no... these humans are safe. Go now." And then, as though she meant to punctuate her dismissal of me_ and_ my concerns, she sprawled out in a patch of tall grass and tucked an arm beneath her head to watch the thin clouds overhead. I stared for a moment at the grass that hid her from sight and heaved a sigh. ...I don't remember why I sighed then, but I do remember how sweet that air was on my lips and the sense of peace that followed.

As I rounded the side of Haeinsa Temple, a large set of doors came into sight. Both were open, and from what I could see of the interior, it was nearly as bright within as it was without. An older man stood before this entrance, and although he seemed aware of my approach, he also appeared completely unconcerned with my presence. The skin of his face was crisscrossed with innumerable wrinkles, revealing some hint of his generous age, and even though his light gray robes concealed his body from the neck down, his posture was unnaturally straight and steady. I was somewhat surprised when he gave me a kind smile and wordlessly motioned that I should enter.

Uncertainty crept into my thoughts as I entered the great hall before me. I'd assumed that Hu would come with me to help translate, but she'd left me to my own devices. Sure, with enough time I'd be able to understand every word spoken or written within these halls, but I doubted she'd want to sit around outside for however long that might take. I banished my worries for the moment and glanced around at my surroundings.

The old man led me swiftly through the main hall; its height was well over twice my own, and it was wide enough for a large crowd of people to walk with plenty of space. Light spilled along its length through skylights, and there were no doors, only open archways leading into other passages. The walls were constructed of heavy stone that had been buffed somewhat smooth, and near each arch I could make out finely chiseled blocks of text in varying lengths.

About halfway down this main hall, he turned and entered one of the large rooms, where another robed man sat at a low table. The older man leaned down to speak quietly to his seated colleague, and then the younger of the two motioned for me to sit at his side. "Welcome to Haeinsa Temple, young traveler." I was at a complete loss as to how he knew exactly which language I spoke, and it must have been obvious in my expression because he smiled and motioned at the older man still standing nearby. "The elder has remarkable hearing."

(As if that explained everything.)

"How may I be of service to you?"

It took little time for the knowledgeable man to guide me through their selections on folklore and legend, and as he read and translated passages of note, I couldn't help but wonder how much information these archives contained... and if they freely offered such access to just anyone, like they had for me.

The rest of the afternoon was spent much like this, and although I didn't learn anything particularly useful, I did get a better understanding of how their archival system worked. As the sunlight faded that evening, he replaced his materials, bowed, and told me I could meet him here when the sun rose the next morning. The elder from before suddenly reappeared in the archway nearby and smiled at me with a hand extended to his left.

The elder led me once again through a series of narrow passageways and up several flights of stairs, and eventually we stopped before a small room. It contained nothing but a bed and a small table with a bowl of water. The elder motioned that I enter, and then he smiled and bowed before he turned to leave. A small window overlooked some of the valley, and I glanced down to see if I might catch sight of where Hu had hidden herself. The light of the waning moon spilled over the fields of gently waving grasses, but I could see no sign of her presence. In fact, I couldn't detect a hint of her.

I sat by the small window for the next few hours, alert and awake. It had been a while since I'd slept last, a day or two... maybe longer, but I felt nearly refreshed, as though I'd just had a great night's sleep. Many thoughts kept my mind occupied and free of the boredom that would normally plague me during the normal hours of rest.

The morning crept up quickly and the quiet stillness was broken by the sound of shuffled footsteps heading toward my room. No other sounds had been apparent during the night, leading me to believe this particular area of the building was reserved for guests of the Temple. A young apprentice brought a small offering of bread and tea into the room and placed it upon the small table, bowed, then exited the room without a sound. I wasn't very hungry, but I found the simple meal to be pleasantly satisfying as I ate quickly.

I soon found myself wandering the halls, retracing my scent from the evening before to find the same room in which the monk had instructed I meet him. We spent the morning walking through the rows of texts and scrolls; some parchments were so old that they crumbled at the edges when touched. These fragile specimens were gingerly collected and handed over to individuals working at a long table, who would then spend the better part of the day copying the materials onto carefully prepared scrolls for renewed storage. The monk and I found several texts from which to work before returning to his table.

The man scanned and translated certain portions of the selected scrolls. A particular line caught my wayward attention and I touched the man's shoulder to have him stop speaking. "Can you tell me about that again?" I asked. The monk skimmed the line and translated key phrases, giving alternate meanings so that I could discern the meaning behind the somewhat cryptic tale.

This particular legend made strong mention of an object a kitsune would use to store a great deal of energy - and that said object could be used by another to gain control of the kitsune, thus making the object both the kitsune's greatest weakness and most treasured possession. I had always thought my kind stored their excess energy in their tails, but this story suggested otherwise (because I certainly could not picture someone holding onto my tail to have power over me)... The furry appendage, still hidden by illusion, twitched in amusement. While I couldn't necessarily feel the youki coursing through it, I _knew_ that my family could channel energy into and out of it. At certain ages, my kind have leaps in power and the excess energy forms a new tail to mark the occasion. And, in times of extreme duress, power from the tails can be harnessed to perform great deeds. These were things I'd learned during my youth. (Come to think of it, no one ever told me exactly how they _knew _energy could be used to do "great deeds"... Maybe it was some legend that had been distorted over time?)

Perhaps there was more to the concept than I knew. It was entirely possible that my relatives didn't tell the young ones about using such an object so that we might remain safe in our youth. I knew I'd have to ask Hu about it later.

Time passed faster than I expected within the chilled hush of that room. Days passed as the monk continued through many other selections of texts, and as he spoke, my eyes constantly scanned the texts to pick up language clues. After a few days, I asked him to first read the line in the language it had been written before translating it so that I might come to understand the language, and soon I began to point out particular phrases to ask their meaning.

It quickly became apparent that this information, while interesting and perhaps somewhat useful in my long term search for general kitsune-related knowledge, would not lead to any good clues as to where I might actually find others of my kind (let alone anyone related to me). On the fourth day, I asked him to limit his searches to any mention of identifying landmarks and locations that might lead me to finding these places. The next two days continued in much the same fashion, with only vague references to locations that couldn't give more than a hint of where each story might have taken place. As he finished the last of the sources, he stood and gave me a slight bow.

"I humbly apologize that our information could not aid in your quest."

I smiled and returned his bow. "Thank you for your help." He turned to lead me back to the entrance, and I suddenly recalled the question I'd mulled over previously. "Do... the monks here always offer such free access to the knowledge contained within this temple?"

"We're not in the habit of refusing those in search of truth."

I couldn't help but frown in concern at his easy response. "Sometimes the truth can be dangerous." The monk nodded as we walked. I could just imagine some awful human or youkai coming here to learn an enemy's secrets... For that matter, I could easily imagine any number of individuals that might be ruthless enough to just _take _the knowledge from these timeless archives and kill the apparently defenseless caretakers.

I sighed in slight frustration as we reached the exit. It seemed like such a waste to leave such an amazing source of information after so little time. "Thank you again for your help." The monk bowed his head in response. "If my search proves fruitless elsewhere, I would like to return and study here."

The monk smiled and gave a final bow. "As you wish. Best wishes for your journey ahead."

'_Those monks are too helpful for their own good._' The corner of my mouth quirked in disbelief at the surreality of the situation. Such a place seemed like an untapped resource, just ripe for the taking. I could feel the hairs on my arms and neck bristle with anticipation of how many power-hungry maniacs might... I shook myself from that train of thought. These men lived at the top of a mountain within the walls of a temple. Surely they had some form of protection against those that would do them harm. I turned to look back at the plain walls and resolved to return, if only to prove to myself that they could last...

(Some years later, I came back to study for an extended period of time. The temple and its inhabitants were still remarkably intact, although I should have expected that a temple of that age would remain just as safe as they had for the centuries _before_ my arrival. The monks taught me a variety of languages, both written and spoken, and I had the privilege of perusing the countless texts available as I learned how to preserve and copy the fragile bits of history.)

I turned to look for my traveling companion. The breeze pushed her scent away from me, but I could sense her nearby, apparently still resting amongst the grasses that blanketed the chill, wind-sheltered valley. The sun was still shining, but it had approached the mountain range nearby as evening drew near. Wispy clouds danced along the mountainous rim of the valley, as though they were forbidden to cross some invisible threshold.

My attention was drawn back to the grasses nearby, rustling and sparkling brightly in the last rays of sunlight. As I drew near to the spot, the shimmers faded and Hu sat up, tucked a small object into the pouch at her waist and lazily stretched her long limbs.

"You are done already?" she asked, blinking up at me.

'_Strange,_' I thought, '_the setting sun makes her hair and eyes shine with golden light._' My chest warmed as I looked down into her smiling face, and then the sun dipped below the horizon and the valley fell into shadow. She tilted her head and gazed at me for a moment, and the moment of warmth and golden glow faded as suddenly as it had come. I blinked with two realizations: I was staring, and she had asked me a question...

"Oh, I - um, yes."

"You must rest this night, here. We will continue to Seonggyungwan in the morning."

I plopped down into the grass at her side, feeling a bit dismayed. "There wasn't anything here that helped. Do you think we'll find something there?"

Hu gave a half smile and lay back in the grass to watch the darkening sky. "You and I, we have much time. It is better to look now and find nothing, than look later and find something." I lounged half on my side and plucked at the bristled grass and she continued to speak. "After this, we will make long journey north. There is a place I know... people there might help."

I dozed off a short while after that, my head propped up on my hand. Admittedly, that night was the first time I slept well while still in Hu's presence. There was something different about her aura that suddenly seemed far less threatening...

We left early the next morning, and I felt vaguely confused at the altered state of my companion. She seemed different somehow. There was a strange glow about her, as though she'd soaked up the very sunlight around us and shone with the intensity of it. She did not show me whatever it was that she held in the small pouch at her side. Our next destination, she said, lay a few weeks' travel to the west. She spoke of a large university that might contain texts and records that might prove useful, although by this time I began to seriously doubt that any human would have written evidence of the existence of my kind... let alone youkai, for that matter.

The next day, we traveled quickly with few words. I was considering how to ask Hu some of the questions I'd come up with during the short time at Haeinsa Temple. For one, I was curious as to how she'd discovered the place, but that wasn't as important as asking her about energy storage and usage... We continued to run throughout the night and next day without slowing, but the next evening we stopped for a short reprieve to eat. The sunlight spilling over the mountain range shimmered in the misty air and warmed my shoulders. As I picked at a small piece of bread, a strange sensation hit me and drew a shudder from my spine. I glanced over at my companion; she sat quite still nearby, her face turned toward the warmth of the setting sun, still fully visible just over the mountains. Her dark tail swished once, and I could see the fine hairs on her arms stand on end as the strange sensation intensified.

"Hu...?" I asked tentatively.

She didn't seem to hear me at first, but as the sun slowly sunk beneath the horizon and left us in the gloom of twilight, she glanced back at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?" she responded, and I was unsure of what to say.

"What was that?"

She shrugged lightly and turned her gaze skyward once more. "It does not matter."

"_I_ think it does. Aren't you hungry? When was the last time you _ate_?" I carefully emphasized the last word, hoping she'd understand what I meant. I'd been within the walls of the temple for nearly a week, and I couldn't believe that she had no need to stop for one of her energy "snacks."

Her gaze drifted toward the horizon where the sun had set, and her expression shifted to slight bitterness. "I..." she trailed off and cast a wary glance in my direction. She stared at me for a long while. Her eyes sought some answer from my own, and her concern was plainly written on her face. "That is a story for another day." Her voice was low and warm, sending an odd trill up my spine.

She turned her attention to the sharp tips of her claws and meticulously picked them clean. "What is that?" I pointed to the small pouch at her waist, but she pretended as though she hadn't heard my words. "What is wrong with you? Why won't you talk to me?"

"You ask too many questions. I will tell you these answers when the time is right."

I pressed my fingers to my temples in annoyance. "Why isn't now the right time? Why won't you tell me these things - do they relate to what I'm looking for, and you're afraid I'll leave if I know the truth?"

She met my hard stare with an easy glance and a shrug. "These things are not so important to _you_." Her emphasis left it clear that she held secrets perhaps too sensitive to share with me. I bit my tongue and turned away from her then, tucking my arms into my sleeves.

-

Two weeks passed in a blur of scenery and relative silence. The rain had lessened considerably, and while Hu had yet to divulge any further information, I became more and more aware of a subtle change in her appearance. Even after this extended period of time, I had yet to feel that tingle of malevolence that always occurred right before she would have left to find sustenance in her human prey.

The clouds cleared often after we had left the temple, and so we made it a habit to stop on occasion for short breaks to enjoy the weather. More often than not, I found my sights settling on her lithe form as she stretched out in the grass under the warm sun. Her skin sparkled in the light and her hair took on a golden shine. She almost always pillowed her head on one arm and stuck a few fingers from her free hand into the pouch at her side. The longer she allowed me to watch her engage in this strange behavior, the closer I felt I was to her giving me some answers.

By the time we made it to our destination, several things had become apparent. First, Hu no longer had pitch black hair and dark eyes, for they had both taken on a seemingly permanent golden sheen. When night fell, her skin nearly glowed with the remnants of the sunlight she soaked up each day, and it only grew in intensity with each day that passed without the plaguing rain. She hadn't hunted a single human since we'd left the temple in the mountains, and she seemed an altogether different youkai.

There was another very obvious change to our surroundings as we drew close to the city. There was some sort of civil unrest, visibly apparent in hundreds of slanderous posters strewn across the city. Royal guards were in the process of trying to remove each of the pieces, and several angry-looking peasants attempting to put up new posters were apprehended by other guards. Hu and I crouched within the branches of a tree to examine their behavior. "Seonggyungwan is near. It is an old school with many texts and students," she whispered to me as a group of soldiers patrolled beneath us. "We will go tonight."

I nodded once, relaxing into the trunk at my back to watch our surroundings in uncertainty. I had an awful feeling we'd just stepped into a potentially dangerous situation...

-

**Author's Notes** - Okay, I hereby promise to not wait an entire year before finishing the next chapter. Fingers crossed it'll be posted in a week. Or less.


End file.
